A person with short dark hair wearing a blue patterned shirt holds a light-colored Labrador Retriever that appears to be smiling at the camera.

Isabella Mulhall

From when I left school in the late 80's, I wanted to be a Guide Dog trainer, but to study for this, you had to go to Northern Ireland or Scotland on a 4-year course and had to work in the UK for a further 4 years. This wasn't an option for me at the time. Years later, I found myself in the UK, and there was a Guide Dog centre where I was living, but unfortunately, the centre relocated shortly after I arrived.

Fast forward 20 odd years, and due to health issues, I had to retire from my work, a very hard decision to make. I am a person who likes to be active and busy, and while scrolling Facebook one day I saw the ad on Irish Guide Dog’s page for puppy raisers. I applied, and we got Orlando at 12 weeks old up to the time he was 8/9 months old. He was an amazing pup. Very smart and quick to learn new things. Unfortunately, I had to stop being Orlando's full-time puppy raiser due to health issues. It was a very, very sad day for me when he left, but he is now with a lovely new puppy raiser.

A white dog rests its head on a beige carpet next to colorful stuffed toys including a black puppet with orange and pink accents and a cream-colored teddy bear.

Things improved for me, and although I cannot be a full-time puppy raiser, I am now doing temporary/short-term fostering, which I am delighted to do. The Irish Guide Dogs is constantly looking for people to help raise pups at short notice, and these pups/dogs make such a difference to people's lives who without their help may not have freedom or the independence to have a working or social life.

Although puppy raising can be extremely challenging, it is one of the most satisfying things I have done. People I met used to say, “Ah, how can you give him back?” My answer was easy (but in reality, probably not so) -  “I'm doing this so someone else can benefit from my act of kindness. That person will not only have a reliable companion - living with sight loss makes navigating outside the home extremely challenging and frightening. I have an eye condition myself and know to some degree the challenges sight loss imposes on life.

A light-colored dog lies on a brown mat on a marble-tiled floor next to a white radiator, basking in sunlight streaming through a window.

Guide dogs make such a massive difference. Nobody knows what life will throw in our direction, and we know that one day I or someone I know may depend hugely on one of these amazing four-legged friends to live our lives in a way we never could without their help. Without the help of puppy raisers, this service is extremely limited as the organisation gets very little government funding and relies on individuals/families like us to support them.

A cream-colored Labrador retriever sits attentively on a paved road while on a blue leash, with lush green fern vegetation visible in the background.

Being a puppy raiser or even just a temporary foster to these pups, knowing you have given even one person a life full of hope and independence they would not have had without our help is a feeling like no other.