Christina: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Taking the Lead podcast where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Christina Hopner with my co-host Leslie Hoskins in Timothy
Sarah: Kuo. So we
Christina: just got done with that fun 5K that we had talked about earlier, the Frozen Paul 5k. We sold out with 800
Leslie: registrants. Oh my God. It was an amazing event.
And it was actually frozen. It snowed. Yeah.
Christina: And remember, yes it did. Snow. Remember when Leslie said she was gonna be at home? Home
Leslie: hanging out? I was there, you guys. I got there suckered right into it. I was there bright and early. helping check people in, giving people just general information about Leader Dog.
Cuz what's cool about that event is a lot of runners just sign up cuz they like to run. Yeah. And don't necessarily know about Leader Dog. So it was a great opportunity for us to be there with a booth, kinda share our mission and what we do and how people can get involved. There was a lot of support there, so it was really, really cool.
Yes, I saw y'all on Facebook. It was
Sarah: a crowd and we did a
Leslie: Facebook.
Timothy: Christina was dressed up on her running [00:01:00] stuff, but Leslie was not so .
Leslie: I was, I did stay warm in the firehouse building the whole time, which was
Christina: nice. I, it was snowing so hard when we were running, like my hair was like soaked,
Leslie: but it was so fun.
The last fun, the last person who came in, she was out there, she walked it and, uh, she came in, oh my gosh. She was covered and so like, she had like genuinely a big pile of snow in her head. We were like, are you okay? You need
Sarah: anything? It was just wet. It was so much
Christina: fun though, like there was a little, couple slippery parts, but I mean, It was a beautiful course.
I will say that we got to run through like a park and stuff, so
Leslie: it was a lot of fun. Yes. And Christina and I did Timothy, we did the Facebook Live. Thank you for joining that. I, uh, apparently need to practice those. I forgot I was micd up. So I started talking to another volunteer while Christina was talking and she's giving me the deaf eyes and I was like, what is going on?
And I totally forgot I had a microphone on and some gentleman was asking about Coco, who I was holding. So I was like, yeah, obviously I'll chat about Coco, but. So we'll, [00:02:00] we're practicing we're,
Christina: we're gonna get better, we're gonna get better at it. Just keep us behind the mic. Not in Yeah. Front of the camera, I guess.
But what did you finish
Timothy: at? What was your position with all that running?
Christina: Um, so I was like 11th out of 44 for females in my like, age range. So I was like, happy with that because I honestly did not train at all for this. You did great. Um, so I was, Beat your boyfriend in the
Leslie: Yes, I did. I beat, this is debatable everyone.
This is debatable. No, if you look at our times, I beat him. Listen, I saw Johnny first after the race, so I'm not saying that he won, but if the finish line was the leader dog booth, which I like to consider, it was then Johnny was, here's the thing, I was asking other team members
Christina: out there if they needed help with anything, so I Sure, sure.
Sarah: Got
Christina: done running and like that's when to go work and help.
Leslie: And you can tell your version. I'll tell mine . Okay. But it was, it was honestly a really good event. Yeah. It was super cute. So many people had fun. The pancake breakfast went really smoothly. Yes. The firehouse, oh my god. Rochester [00:03:00] Firehouse did amazing.
They were so helpful. I cannot believe all the help
Christina: they had. Our sponsors were great. They Genesis and Trico, they had booths. It was just so giveaway.
Leslie: Yeah, it was so much fun. They really was fun. I was glad I was there. It was. But I was glad I was there. Yeah. And now we have another event coming up. Me too.
We're looking forward. Me too. To dinner in the dark.
Christina: I am so excited because I've never been in person because I started like at Leader Dog, you know, mid pandemic. Yeah. So we were virtual,
Leslie: so it's gonna be Friday, March 10th. Last year, Timothy, you were, uh, the virtual client highlight, which was a lot of fun.
And this year we've got a couple other clients that we're gonna focus on and kinda just share their story. . It should be a really, really fun, cool event. Christina's excited to join. Yeah, I'm excited to be there again. Um, it's just so, so much fun. Yeah, I
Christina: am super excited. I like just keep hearing about it and everyone's like so pumped that it's back in person, so I'm like, all right.
Sarah: Is it
Leslie: March 10th yet? Yeah, and everybody, so [00:04:00] dinner in the dark, what we do for those who are unaware, we have it at MGM in downtown Detroit, the casino, and we have like a beautiful space and room and it's all set up really. And then we do a dinner in the dark. So we actually have everybody wear blindfolds during the meal and we kind of explain, you know, where the food is on the plate and everybody gets to get an idea of what it would be like to eat without vision.
And so build some empathy. And of course, it's just a really, really nice time to share our mission, um, while having some fun doing so. Yes. Well, I'm so excited. So if you're interested, check it out. Leader dog.org. You can buy tickets. And we look forward to seeing everybody. Yes. Okay, well, what a crazy, crazy time.
We've got lots going on. It's awesome. But, uh, we're super excited because today our guest is a leader dog volunteer who hosted a breeding dog during the pandemic.
Christina: Yes. Sarah King has been a nurse for 17 years, is married with two daughters, and when she started hosting Leader Dog Mom Elsa back in 2019, she didn't know the impact it would have on her [00:05:00] family's life.
Timothy: Sarah, welcome to the podcast. We're excited that you're here. So how did you find leader?
Leslie: Hi, and
Sarah: thanks for having me. I'm super stoked to be on, so I live right in downtown Rochester, so I was very familiar with, you know, the leader dog locations that are one downtown and one on Avon Road. And. I remember driving past the one on Avon Road and seeing like a, on the sign, like looking for breeding host families.
And in the back of my head I was like, I just wanted, I wanna do that. That'd be so cool. You know, I should get some more information. Um, so we ended up signing up to host, um, a breeding mom. And yeah, we got her in November of 2019 right before all the craziness happened. . Yeah.
Christina: And so you've had her now for a few years.
there's something exciting that's happening
Sarah: today, correct? Yeah. So this is our last litter that we had with Elsa. We've had 20 puppies in our house. Oh my gosh. Wow. And, [00:06:00] um, I'm letting my girls play hooky from school . So, so they can be part of taking our last litter back to litter dog and, you know, saying our, our goodbyes.
Yeah. So what is that feeling like for. It's bittersweet. I mean, we really enjoy having the puppies in our house. Um, you know, by the time, cuz we take 'em back about seven weeks old. Um, They are a lot of work at that point. . Yeah. . And as much as we love them and enjoyed the time we've had, we are ready to have our house back.
Yes.
Christina: You're ready to see them on their new journey.
Leslie: Yeah. And do we think Elsa's excited? This is her last litter. She so sounds like a really good
Sarah: mom. Oh, she's great. Yeah, she's a wonderful mom. Um, her. Favorite part about having puppies is when they're big enough to play with her. Oh. Because she's pretty much like a big puppy herself, so, um, yeah.
A little bittersweet for her too. But I think, you know, usually the, when we take 'em back the first couple of days, she just sleeps . Yeah. Yeah. She's, she's like any mom [00:07:00] that, like a break
Christina: exhausted. I am sure. So you picked up Elsa right before the pandemic, not knowing the pandemic was going to happen. What was it like, you know, hosting her during that time?
Sarah: Yeah, we had no idea what a blessing she was gonna be to our family when we, um, signed up for this journey. Um, and it was, it was exactly that. I mean, my girls were homeschooled, my husband worked from home, you know, I'm a nurse, so I was like in the thick of it. Mm-hmm. . Um, and that was such a blessing to us.
Um, You know, coming home and having just experienced all the craziness, um, at work, um, and being able to just lay in a puppy pen and be mauled by puppies was the best therapy I could have ever gotten, um, for that time period. Um, so yeah, it was, it was really, Such a blessing in disguise. You know, I'm so thankful that it worked out the way it did because it was a tremendous, you know, stress reliever and you know, something [00:08:00] for all of us to look forward to, you know, during that difficult time.
Timothy: So what was it like being a nurse with the pandemic and everything right there at the front lines for you?
Sarah: Oh, it was awful. Yeah, I think everyone's kind of heard the stories. Um, yeah, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Um, you know, it was day in, day out of just really difficult, difficult days.
Um, you know, I'm very thankful that we're out of that and. Like I said, very thankful that we had, you know, that bit of joy, you know, that sunshine in our life with having the puppies and, you know, seeing them take their first steps and, you know, saying that like renewal, you know, as opposed to all the other not great things that I was seeing at work.
Leslie: And we need to thank you both for being on the front lines as a nurse. Thank you for all of that. As I know that was extremely challenging, but also thank you for, for being a breeding house mom. You know, you're putting in a lot of time work, you've got a family [00:09:00] and to volunteer in such a capacity. How has that been?
You know, so many people say like, oh, I couldn't do it. I just don't have the time. I've got a family or whatnot. How do you guys make that time to prioritize?
Sarah: So our, uh, lookout outlook on life is basically, Life's crazy. Anyways, you might as well do it with puppies, . Oh, I love that. Tag Guy, . That's our next marketing.
Yes. Literally,
Christina: I am writing
Sarah: this down. She is writing it down. Oh, I love that. Yeah, so I mean, yeah, we, we have very busy lives and our kids are in extracurriculars and you know, I'm back in school, you know, getting my masters and oh my gosh, you know, it's, you just do whatever you have to do to, you know, get through a day.
You know, some are more difficult than others, but in the end, what we get from the experience really outweighs any of the effort and, you know, stress that we have to put forward. So for us it was a no-brainer. And, you know, we've truly enjoyed the whole process. [00:10:00]
Christina: Yeah. So you had, you know, your. Family help out with this, your daughters, I mean, what was it like for you to have your daughters helping you out day in
Sarah: and day out with this?
It was really cool to see how much they stepped up and took a lot of responsibilities for the puppies. Um, every day before school, they would get up a little bit earlier. They would weigh them, they'd do their neuro stem exercises, you know, they really latched onto all those tasks that they could do and to think, you know, they were six and eight when we started this journey.
you know, so really quite little. But they took on the responsibility without complaint. Um, of course, no kid wants to pick up dog poop. . Yes. But, you know, in the grand scheme of things, it taught 'em a lot of responsibility. Um, you know, we've really kind of emphasized, you know, that we're giving back to people.
Um, you know, and being volunteers is, is gonna be, you know, a continued theme in our, in our.
Leslie: I think that's absolutely wonderful. What a wonderful example you are setting for [00:11:00] your children and for everybody else that you can always just give a little more, and that seems to be like a reoccurring theme that we hear from our volunteers.
Everybody's busy, everybody has things going on, but somehow people continue to find a little bit of time, a little bit of extra motivation to help somebody else. So I think that is, Absolutely incredible. And now Elsa is done. So she's had four litters. Yeah, she's had four. So now what will we do? What's, what, what are we gonna do with our
Sarah: time?
It's, yeah, it's gonna be like a vacation. It's gonna seem like, um, yeah, I think we'll probably take a little bit of time off. Um, and then maybe jump right back into it. We talked about when the. our little older, like in high school, um Oh yeah. You know, they could be puppy razors. Oh yeah. You know, and take the puppies to school and kind of, you know, do that side of the program.
Um, you know, and as much work and, and all this craziness that it is, the team at Leader Dog is really what makes it so doable for families. Um, you know, they're there every step of the [00:12:00] way. You know, I get weekly emails from them checking in to see if I need anything, and they're always just a phone call.
and being a part of that. Community is so awesome because we see them at the 5K events, you know, we see 'em at the, the Rochester parade. Mm-hmm , you know, we feel that sense of community within the organization and that's, you know, such an awesome experience for us.
Christina: And that's so amazing to hear from you as a volunteer, cuz I know that's what we strive for and we're always trying to be better at, you know, providing.
Things to our volunteers and our community and our donors. So that is so great to hear. And I know, um, you know, last letters of puppies, all of that. And. You know, you gave so much back. Did you learn anything from, I mean, did you have any experience with, um, you know, breeding puppies before you kind of jumped into hosting
Sarah: el?
Not any kind of formal experience, but I grew up in the country. You know, we always had lots of animals, you know, chickens and, you know, whatever you can think of. [00:13:00] We pretty much had, um, and puppies, you know, we. Puppies, you know, barn kittens, , all that fun stuff. And I, I loved that experience growing up and I wanted my kids to have a similar experience, you know, with their childhood and just, Taking that joy to be able to watch something that's born at one pound and blind and deaf grow into this rambunctious little fuzz ball that you know is gonna go on and do great things.
So that was kind of the motivation for us to sign up. Yeah. So, you know, ,
Christina: you don't have to have any experience then. Yeah. To be a breeding host. I think people think of that. They're like, oh, I have to have had bred puppies before or had had a dog. I know some people have not even
Sarah: had a pet before when Yeah.
That's my husband. We had one dog, um, and he had no pets growing up. Yeah. Um, so when we started this journey, he was very hesitant, um, and kind of, you know, sitting on his heels a bit. Um, Once we jumped in and started [00:14:00] doing it, he really became really comfortable because, you know, we felt prepared. We had a class that we took about, you know, hosting a breeding dog and you know, the whole birth process.
We had a mentor, you know, that they hooked us up with that I could call and ask questions and kind of picked their brain about things and they provided all of the equipment to, you know, host and, you know, have puppies be born at our house. So, you know, it really. Helped him get through that initial process of, I don't know what I'm doing.
Yeah.
Timothy: So, so Sarah, what is the process like? Like when you go to Leader Dog and you fill out the application? So what was that first two or three steps that you had to do? The Leader dog come and look at your house and
Leslie: stuff
Sarah: like that? So, yep. They, um, we filled out the application online. Um, they gave us a call and let us know, you know, that they required us to sign up for.
A training, you know, session that they usually do on the weekends. So we went and did that and, you know, [00:15:00] gained a ton of information, um, through that meeting. And then, um, let us know that the next step would be, uh, a two-part meeting process When they came up with a dog, you know, they, we would come in and meet the dog and they would let us know if they thought we were a good fit and vice versa.
And then the. Meeting was like meeting the kids and making sure that everyone was kind of, you know, vibing together and was a good fit. And then, um, we got to bring her home and, you know, they gave us this thick manual, and said, read it, you know, cover to cover and make sure you know, you know what's going on.
And. Um, yeah, they, they really walked us through the entire process, so it was, it was quite nice. I think that's
Leslie: great. So yeah, there's no surprises, right? Like we really wanna make sure that you understand what you're getting into. Yeah. I think that's really cool and I love that little fact, uh, that you said like that, that did the meet and greet to make sure everybody was vibing and getting along.
I find that so interesting at Leader Dog, like, and I don't know if other people know that we don't just like give dogs out. We're not [00:16:00] just giving 'em to anybody. Yeah. They will actually bring people in. Yeah. Meet the dog. Does the dog like you? Do you like the dog? Yeah. If not, cuz sometimes people just don't vibe or dogs don't vibe and that's okay.
And then maybe the next dog will be a better fit. But yeah, I always find that so interesting cuz I kind of assume, yeah, you're willing to take a dog, we'd give it to you. But
Sarah: yeah, it's not like, that's not No, that's exactly what happened to Elsa. Was matched up with a different family. and she actually went home with them and they brought her right back.
You know, and no shame on them that Yeah. That she wasn't a good fit for their family. Yeah. And so Leader Dog was like, all right, that's perfect. You know, no shame in that. Mm-hmm. just mm-hmm. , you know, brought her back and then it ended up being, because she was meant for us. Yeah. Yeah. You know, we couldn't have asked for a better dog.
She fits right in with our family and, you know, we've loved every, every minute.
Christina: Yeah. That's amazing. And it's so great. Um, that leader dog does go through that process and that, you know, we would rather have a dog back than you be [00:17:00] miserable, you know, having a dog that doesn't fit in with your family. It's so funny how it, cuz even when I like rescued my dog years ago, like, I remember I had looked at his, he was a rescue litter, looked at his litter and he.
you know, I vibed with him, so it is just a
Sarah: thing. Right.
Leslie: That's weird. Yeah, it's such a thing. It's
Sarah: important. There
Christina: was like three or four little puppies. My mom liked one and I was like, nope, this is my dog . So it's so crazy to see. And you know, having your daughters at home during this whole process as well because, you know, there were, um, during the pandemic being homeschooled, so that was so different cuz you know, you were used to.
them going to school and that sort of stuff. So what, um, was that journey like having, you know, the kids at home full-time
Sarah: and all of that? It was a lot. . Oh my, you say the least? Probably. Yeah, it was a lot. But um, it ended up working out really well. You know, we developed a new routine. Um, you know, my youngest daughter, she was only six, you know, and she actually learned to read.
[00:18:00] By sitting with the puppies every day in their little welt box and reading to them, you know? So it ended up being a very, you know, AIC experience. You know, we were not doing anything by any book. No. But survival. It worked out so well for our family. , you know, just having them there and we got to really bond with those litters because they were home 24 7.
Yeah.
Leslie: That's really cool. I'm curious, Timothy, your perspective on hearing this, because you know, you have Glacier and I think we've talked about in the past, was it Duck and Phoebe? Yeah. That were glaciers here. So thinking about like Glacier being a little puppy in somebody's home and family.
Timothy: I wish I had pictures and uh, a film of it and everything cuz she likes to eat and I would love, I would just love to see her.
Cause I tell you, when she's sleeping at night, you can hear her . I mean, I think she's still feeding off her mother sometimes. But yeah, it's, it, I, I want to thank Sarah for doing this. I, I can't imagine what it's like to have a puppy knowing what it's going to do for [00:19:00] somebody and watching it grow and then send them off.
It's, I want to thank Sarah for doing. .
Sarah: Yeah, it's, it's a great experience and I'm, we're just very fortunate to be a part of. .
Leslie: So have you been able to kind of follow any of your puppies? Like you said 20, right? Yeah,
Sarah: so we've had 20 puppies, um, and there's a really great Facebook group for the breeding, um, and puppy razors.
And so yeah, we do end up, you know, kind of being able to watch from the sidelines as they go through, you know, that year of training in their puppy razor home, Uhhuh . And then we get the updates from Leader Dog when they get back for the formal training and, you know, Really, really awesome. We recently got a letter from Leader Dog with a picture of one of our puppies that got paired up with a client.
Oh my gosh. And it was just such a sense of, you know, joy and pride for our family. Like it's hanging on our refrigerator. . Yeah. Yeah. . So it's really awesome to watch things go full circle.
Leslie: Absolutely. To be able to give back in such a way and change [00:20:00] people's lives. We hear Timothy all the time and the impact that Glacier has had on him and his life, and he travels all over and just has this extra confidence and independence, and you guys are a piece of that.
It's so important.
Sarah: We couldn't do it without you. Yeah. Yeah. It's awesome and our.
Christina: Breeding dogs are really where it all starts. You know, our breeding team picks those dogs so strategically because they want dogs that are going to graduate and all of that. So being the beginning of the journey has to feel amazing to know that that dog went through so many phases and then got paired with a client, but started, you know, as just a tiny little puppy, which is so cool.
Um, advice, you know, you have a family, you work all of that. What advice would you give to someone who, you know, maybe was on the brink of, I wanna do this, I just don't know if
Sarah: I can do it? I always tell people, just jump, jump in, you know, both beat in, just go for it because it's going to be a lot of work.
I, you know, I try to be transparent about that. It's a, it's [00:21:00] a lot of work, but it's so worth it, you know, to be a part of the experience. Who doesn't love puppies? . Yes. So I mean, we, we live in a very small home. We have a 1300 square foot house. You know, we have three cats and a bunny and like just, oh my goodness.
Craziness. We're like the downtown Rochester Menagerie. . But it's awesome. I don't know, it's just such a great joy to have. It's a great experience to be a part of, and I think it's something that my kids are gonna grow up, you know, being one of their core memories, you know, as children. and you've
Leslie: talked about a lot of positives.
What would you say are some of the biggest challenges? Because we know this isn't an easy task that people take on in the time that you dedicated, so what would you say is kind of been the most challenging part of this role? Well, it's
Sarah: definitely a 24 7, you know, job to raise puppies in the house for seven weeks.
Mm-hmm. , um, you know, that is a lot of work. It's keeping their pen clean and making sure you know that they're fed three times a day. You know, that's very kind of [00:22:00] regimented. Um, leader dog. You up for success. You know, so they spell out a lot of the tasks that you have to do, and once you get into the routine, it's not a big deal, but it is in the beginning.
It's a lot to get used to and adjust to. Um, you know, and really it is, it's just a mess. They're, by the time we get ready to take them back, they're angle biting poop monsters and we're more than happy to see them go. . Yes.
Leslie: Ankle biting, poop monsters. I think that's so great. Yes. What kind of dog is
Sarah: Elsa? So she's a black lab.
Christina: She has a black lab. So has all of her litters been, um,
Sarah: mostly black lives or No. So she was bred twice with golden retrievers. Okay. So we've had a mix of some, you know, fluffier golden, oh, you know, puppies in the mix. . One time she was B Blood bred with another black lab and we had seven black lab puppies.
Aw. Aw. You know, that was a lot of fun. We had no idea who they were by the end of it, cuz she kept taking their collars off .
Leslie: Oh yeah. Neat. That's right. So when they're [00:23:00] born and then they all get a different color and like a different color, basically put
Sarah: a ribbon on them and as they grow, you know, Switch 'em out to, you know, the easy breakaway collars, which Elsa hates them.
I don't know why , she, she's constantly taking their collars off, so it's a little easier, you know, when they're different colors and different genders, but yeah. Yeah, we had seven black lab puppies and Oh my, I have no
Leslie: idea. . And so did Leader Dog provide you with all the materials and things that you needed for this?
Or what was there things that you had to get in order to house these dogs?
Sarah: They, they provide a ton of stuff. So they provide the Welp box. Mm-hmm. They give you like a rubber barrier to put on the floor to protect it. Um, a lot of pee pads. Um, I mean, a ton of the heat lamp, a little baby weight thing. Oh my goodness.
Um, we did go out and buy, you know, a couple extra, you know, pee pads that we can wash and reuse. Puppy toys cuz you know, how can you not ? Yeah, . But really it was not a huge [00:24:00] investment, you know, for our family to do.
Leslie: That's crazy. And then, and Elsa came with the name Elsa. She did, yes. Did, did your girls love that?
Are they frozen fans? They were when they were
Sarah: literally Oh yeah. . They were, they were definite frozen fans. Okay. And it really never occurred to us to change her name. Yeah. Yeah. Because she was just Elsa.
Leslie: She was Elsa. Yeah, absolutely. That's so sweet. And that's gotta
Sarah: be so cool
Christina: too, having, you know, she's a black lab, but then having, Have mixed breeds at home as well and getting to know the different types of breeds.
Sarah: Yeah, it's definitely like Christmas, you know, when she goes into labor. Yeah. Cause like what are we gonna get next? . Right. . How does that
Leslie: process work? Like so else is going into labor. It could be any. Time of day, right? Yeah. Yeah. And then you just kind of watch or have the puppies, I have no idea. That's, I've had babies myself, but I dunno how that works with
Sarah: the, the dogs there.
Yeah. , maybe it's just because I'm a nurse, but I, I Oh yeah. Usually like triage everything out and make sure I have like all my supplies laid out. Yeah. And like my gloves and like extra little [00:25:00] blankets and a warming station. . Yeah. So I make sure everything's set days before she's due to go into labor and.
Yeah. You just watch her for the signs and you know, 90% of the time it's the middle of the night. Of course, of course. That's like the only time. And we, I've had to call the vet numerous times, you know, at two, four in the morning asking questions because they give you all the supplies, like the oxytocin, um, shots and Yeah.
And all that. So you know, if there's ever. A delay in her labor or you know, if I feel like I just don't know what to do from, you know, step A to B, they're always there, you know, for a midnight phone call. You know, they're never begrudging us. . Yes, they're, um, very, very helpful. So yeah, they give us all the supplies and.
Leslie: Yeah. And we've had Doc Smith on before and to talk about that. Yeah. And they do, they take phone calls all hours of the night to help support, you know, those dogs are just as important to us as to you. We care about you guys, we care about the [00:26:00] dogs. Um, so to have that 24 hour support is, I think critical.
I would imagine. Oh yeah. Yeah. Cuz
Sarah: otherwise it'd just be terrifying. Oh my gosh. Oh yeah. Yeah.
Leslie: I've just blown away by that. I know. I was like trying to even fathom that. So they, so they're born then, is there much you have to do or Elsa kind of takes over as a mom and she does.
Sarah: Yes. It's very natural for her.
Yeah. You know, she stepped right into that role and, you know, she'd have one puppy and she'd be cleaning it up and getting it, you know, stimulated and moving. And then beyond the, Puppy that was coming out. So, you know, we would kind of, you know, take the one out after she. Stimulated it and get it, you know, dried off and wait and, you know, put a little ribbon on them and yeah.
Gosh. And then move on to the next one. It's pretty, pretty awesome.
Timothy: God. Sounds like we need to have a party for birth, .
Leslie: Right? Right. Goodness. I
Christina: mean, these moms are. They are amazing. Their day sounds
Leslie: like, and to have 20 puppies. Well, I think that's a, [00:27:00] and what a great day to have you guys in here when you're on your way today, this afternoon to turn in your last litter.
That also has, thank you so much for everything that you have done for a leader dog and continue to do. I think it's, it's absolutely wonderful. So we thank you. Well,
Sarah: thank you guys. I appreciate all that you guys do for the, the organization too. And, and thank you for having me on. Absolutely.
Leslie: All right.
Well, thank you everyone for listening to the Taking the Lead podcast. I'm Leslie Hoskins with host Timothy cuo and Christina Heppner. We hope you enjoyed hearing about the important work that Sarah and her family are doing with Leader Dog. Please join us next week as we continue to dive into the world of blindness.
If you'd
Christina: like to learn more about applying to our free services at Leader Dog, you can head to leader dog.org or call us at eight eight eight seven seven seven five three three. And don't forget, you can reach us at taking the lead@leaderdog.org with any questions or ideas. If you'd like today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and check us out wherever Podcast Stream.
This season of the Taking the Lead podcast is brought [00:28:00] to you by a longtime supporter of Leader Dog, the Mary p Delani Hallan
Sarah: Foundation.
Leslie: As you may know, generous donors like this one make it possible to achieve our.
Sarah: The Mary P DOL Hallan
Christina: Foundation supports the study of mathematics and mathematics education.
Leslie: For more information about our generous sponsor, visit their website at www.dolhallanfoundation.org.