Christina: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Taking the Lead podcast where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Christina Hepner with my co-host Leslie Hoskins in Timothy, I can't believe it's officially summer. We're at the end of June and summer is in fall swing. It's happening. It's it's hot.
Timothy: That summer heat's starting to build up here in the south.
So, uh, glacier's not happy.
Christina: Yeah. See, I'm not jealous of you in the summer.
Leslie: No. And also glacier. How'd you get a dog named Glacier and living in the south? It just feels wrong.
Timothy: Well see. The puppy raises work. Were working on the GS for the dogs. Oh. And they, she like, uh, she's from Wisconsin. So the, the glaciers carved out the Great Lakes.
Leslie: Yes.
Timothy: So, uh, that's where it comes from.
Leslie: Look at us. We're like a history podcast right now, telling us about the great leagues and how they're formed. I love this.
Timothy: Yeah. So yeah. So that's, that's where they get the G from.
Leslie: That's awesome. Yeah. Well, that's incredible that they raised that many puppies that they're on [00:01:00] G.
So thank you to them. Um, but Timothy, what's going on this summer? What are you doing?
Timothy: Well, I know, uh, j July, August, I'm headed to, uh, Freeport, Illinois. I gotta do a car show for the, uh, Cedarville Lions Club. They raise about 12 to $14,000 for Leader Dog in one day.
Leslie: Wow.
Timothy: So they're gonna be a double dog. Oh.
And they take pride in that, as they should. So now with the new campaign that's up right now, uh, anybody who donates $8,500 gets the name of Sweet in the, uh, dog. Complex there. And so they'll be able to name a suite now, uh, because they, they're gonna give, you know, $12,000 most likely.
Leslie: That's awesome. Very cool.
Well, thank you to them and thank you for going Yeah. Yeah.
Timothy: And I'm going to, uh, some other clubs down here in Georgia trying to get some more donations out of them in my ba my backyard. So I'm headed to Monroe and then to Madison and some other, uh, lions clubs trying to get the, uh, the donations to [00:02:00] ramp up a little bit outta state of Georgia.
Leslie: Yeah, that's very cool. You always have such a good impact sharing your story. People can really hear what their donations and money are going towards, like the end result there with all of the, the services and with Glacier and everything. So that is wonderful. Thank you so much for doing that, Timothy.
Timothy: Well, it's not, it's not a problem. I enjoy doing it and if I'm sitting around the house, I, I want to be out doing something. I, I enjoy going out and. Of course I'm a big talker, so I like to talk, so it comes naturally. Oh,
Leslie: I didn't know that you liked to talk.
Timothy: Oh, yes.
Leslie: And people love hearing you talk. Yes. We get a lot of requests, uh, from Lions clubs of course, specifically, but other groups too.
They'll hear you on the podcast and hear your story and know that it's so impactful. So they, they want you to come and we love that you do that. Yeah.
Timothy: Well, next time I'm up, I want you guys to come. If I get to come up to the summer visits, I'd like for you guys to come out. And hear my speech. It's changed a lot in the past three, four years.
Leslie: Yeah, we haven't heard it in a while, but that's a really good point. Timothy, I don't think I have heard you speak in a minute.
Timothy: Well, I [00:03:00] don't, I think a couple people haven't heard me speak up there, but, uh, I would like for everybody to come out one time and hear it because, uh, you know, after doing after a while I have, as I have, I try not to stumble much, but, um, it's gotten better.
Uh, 'cause at practice and, and all that stuff. And it's, it's a very emotional speech. Uh, I went to Alabama here a couple of months ago and, uh, out of the state of Alabama we were. Not getting any funds out of sadly at that point. But I can say gladly say now that that's changed. But people get very emotional and you can tell the, the, uh, crowds real quiet and listening to you and you capture them.
And, uh, I enjoy doing that 'cause I'm telling the truth about my life and, and examples of other people who benefit from Leader Dog. And it's a pleasure. 'cause I feel like I'm helping somebody else out, even though I've got Glacier and the o and m training, but I'm helping somebody else. And, you know, one day glacier's gonna retire.
So in a sense, I'm helping myself again.
Greg: Mm-hmm.
Timothy: And so, uh, I just love talking [00:04:00] about it because GLA Leader Dog is a great organization. And when you got, when you're passionate about something, it makes it easy. And um, I even still cry today when I'm doing my speech 'cause I get so emotional about it.
Leslie: Well then, you know, I can't come listen because I'm, I'm basically crying right now.
I know Leslie is a crier. We
Christina: all know that boy.
Timothy: We all know that. But, but if you ever, Kelsey heard my speech for the first time I called her raccoon eyes that night. 'cause she come up afterwards and her mascara was running down her cheeks and everything. Yeah. So Kelsey's heard it, but uh. I, I really enjoy doing it.
Yeah. And I love traveling, saying what I, and, and being the ambassador for Leader Dog, it's, it's been a pleasure of mine.
Christina: Well, we greatly appreciate everything you do. We couldn't do what we do without you. 'cause nobody wants to hear. Um, Leslie and I.
Timothy: Well, we got other, other people go out like Joey Johnson, he goes out and some other people, a walker goes out and we still have Jeff Hawkins and, and [00:05:00] BJ and we all sit out there and all of us together, we we're an army.
We go out and we tell, uh, talk about Leader Dog and we, we want more, uh, people to be able to go to Leader Dog. That's why what we do.
Leslie: Yeah, yeah, we're very lucky. We've got a lot of client speakers. We've got Kayla and Jill and a lot of others, um, who also join and, and do that. So thank you to you and all of them and everybody else.
Honestly, every client, every volunteer, every donor is a leader, dog ambassador, and we're so thankful that people continue to share the mission and what we do. So that's incredible. So it's gonna be a big summer, lots of plans, lots to do, but today we are so excited because we have two wonderful guests who have very, very important roles with Leader Dog.
Christina: Yes. Today we're joined by Lauren and Greg, a dedicated volunteer duo with Leader Dogs for the Blind. Lauren began her journey as a puppy raiser in 2023 and has since taken on roles as a community engagement blindfolds walk and temporary foster volunteer, all while working full-time as a nurse anesthetist.
Greg, a lifelong dog lover [00:06:00] and licensed nursing home administrator with over 25 years in long-term care. Brings a passion for service and connection. Two years ago, he and Lauren teamed up to become puppy raisers and community engagement volunteers combining their love of Dogs with a mission to make a difference.
Timothy: Lauren and Greg, welcome to the podcast. We're excited you're here. Can you both tell us what got you involved and want to be involved with Leader Dog? And we'll start with Lauren.
Lauren: Hey Timothy, thanks for having us here. Um, basically back in 2023, I believe that was the first time you guys took over the winter run and renamed it from the um, uh, to the frozen paws from the.
Fire Nice. That Rochester used to host. Mm-hmm. So we used to do that run many times with a group of running friends. And, um, this time when Leader Dogs was there, I saw the booth, uh, about a puppy, uh, raisers and breeding host families, and talked to Greg and said, Hey, would you do this with me? I had, uh, recently just lost my mom and, um, taken over as the [00:07:00] primary caregiver for my dad who has some disabilities himself, and I just wanted a positive change in my life.
And Greg was working from home at the time, so he, he willingly agreed to help me out with this project.
Leslie: Okay. So Greg, Lauren approaches you with this question. And what was your thoughts? What were your feelings?
Greg (2): I. So, uh, again, thank you for having me. First off. Uh, this is wonderful listening to your podcast.
So again, growing up, having dogs, being very, very familiar with Leader Dogs for the Blind, um, you know, it was something that kinda always wanted to do in the back of, uh, back of my head. And given the option, given the, um, opportunity, it was like, yeah, okay. Sounds like fun, you know, I mean. It, it, it's another dog, but not knowing exactly, you know, what we were getting into, uh, as, as we found out or as we, and we will find out.
Leslie: So tell us a little bit about your journey, because since then I feel like a lot has happened. Yeah. Do you guys really jumped in [00:08:00] with both feet really? I know that was
Christina: only two years ago, right? I would've thought you've been a volunteer for like years with everything you guys have done.
Leslie: They pulled a Christina, they saw a puppy, and they were like, jumping in two feet.
We're all in. So tell us what happened, Lauren. Uh, from that point on,
Lauren: uh, it's very true. We did jump in, uh, both feet. All in. Um, but like I said, we are looking for something positive, a positive change. And that definitely has been what we found at Leader Dog. Um, you know, you, you sign up for the dog because you think a puppy what can be un positive about a puppy and loving you and all the fun and excitement that comes with it.
And that's true. But then along the way, you get to meet all of the people and the people are what makes you stay. Um, they're constantly saying thank you, uh, whether it be, you know, at a function that we go to and Melissa Weiss makes. You know, a special trip to come up to you just to say thank you for being a puppy raiser.
Thank you for being here. Um, you know, the chair of the board, John Reed, comes up and remembers not only my dog's name, but my name, which is just [00:09:00] dumbfounded to me. That is exactly, it's, um, you know, and then it just, all the puppy counselors, you know, constantly saying thank you, um, meeting some of the clients and being able to hear their story.
Um. You know, has just made such an impact on, um, wanting to stay, you know, and just, especially even out and about in the community, when we take the Future Leader dog with us. Um, every store that you stop at, you have to plan an extra half an hour for any errand. 'cause people are going to approach you and they're going to ask you and, you know, wonder about the dog and wanna share their experience and their story.
And, um, you know, they're, they're always appreciative and, you know, it's, it's. People in the community even recognize the dog that you're with. And they'll come up and they'll be like, oh, hi Olaf, how you doing today? You know? So they, you know, they remember.
Timothy: So Lauren and Greg, you wake up one morning and you got your little puppy.
And so what is a day like to be a puppy raiser? What is going to happen that day? I.
Greg (2): It's getting them out, you know, uh, very, very quickly, you know? Um, and, and often, you know, but [00:10:00] having, uh, so we have a now what, almost five-year-old lab of our own, um, you know, so used to the dog and whatnot, but now it's, oh, shoot.
Now, now we gotta remember. It's, it's a puppy. So it's hustling them out the door. Uh, you know, every, every. 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and you know, waking up. And so the, you know, and it's not a scary thing or, you know, don't want it to, uh, don't want anyone listening to think that, oh my God, I could never do that.
Sure, you can, you know, I mean, you just, you lose a little sleep in the beginning and, and you get 'em out and, and then it, it's, it's just doing the simple stuff, you know? I mean, hey, we get to play with a puppy. I mean, and, and what, when, as Lauren kind of alluded to, when we walk into a store, when we walk.
Somewhere people kind of ignored us. We're like the invisible one and their faces just light up at seeing this adorable little puppy, you know, wearing the bandana. And then as they grow. So again, it, it's, it's. Normal everyday life. You let 'em out, you feed 'em, [00:11:00] you, and, and then you start to train 'em, you know?
And, and we're just doing the basics. We're not, uh, splitting the atom here with 'em.
Timothy: Well, being a guide dog user, I can tell you that does not change when you're working a dog. Same thing happens to me when I go anywhere. Oh, look at the dog. They don't see me. They see the dog. So that never ends. So.
Lauren: Yeah, it seems that, um, in hearing a lot of the different podcasts and a lot of the different client stories, the, there's a lot of parallels between the puppy raising and, you know, the guide dog users.
You know, you have to be concerned about, you know, what type of environment you're bringing the, the puppy to. You know, and I know you guys have alluded to that too, sometimes you gotta. Bring out your white cane and you gotta leave your, your guide dog at home because it's just not a good environment for that dog.
Or, um, you know, I've heard you guys talk about that, that changeover of, you know, when it's time to retire your, uh, guide dog and, and starting all over with a, with a new one and how you build that relationship with them. And, you know, that's kind of the same for us with the puppies, is you turn in this.
Almost perfect year old [00:12:00] dog that you've been working with, and you know exactly what to expect and you know, what types of environments you can take him to, you know, and now you're starting all over with every 10 minutes, having to rush outside to prevent an accident. And, you know, not really knowing what is this dog gonna go after?
And, you know, having to constantly be on the lookout for, you know, what's on the floor, what's coming up, what do I need to avoid? And yeah, you know, it's, it's, there's a lot of parallels that I've. I've heard.
Christina: Yeah. And Lauren, you have the puppy here with us in the studio. Yeah. Can you tell us a little bit about the puppy?
Lauren: Oh, I would love to. This is, this is Yv. Um, as a puppy raiser, we're very fortunate, um, that the majority of the time you, you get to pick the name for the dog. Um, and so for Greg and I, um, the, the theme that we've kind of stuck with, it sounds like, uh, for Glacier, he. You know, he was in the alphabet. Um, but for Greg and I, I, I'm an avid scuba diver.
Um, so all my dogs have had a scuba themed name. Um, but Greg is not a scuba diver, even though I've tried my best to convince him to, to take classes. You gotta get a
Greg (2): do. A long time ago, we never got my open water served. [00:13:00] So I I, I, it's on the back on the list. Okay. But, um, I don't mind doing it. It's fun.
It's just, yeah, it. Other things got in the way.
Lauren: Tried to kind of combine both of our, you know, passions since we both were doing this project together. Um, and, and Greg's from, um, family is from Finland. So we looked up a couple different words in the finish language, and it is not an easy language to pronounce.
So there was like a couple words that we could, we, we could come across our, our first dog we went with the, um, LIO, which means tank as in a scuba tank in the finish language. Hmm. Um, Olaf, our second. Future leader Dog came to us as a sponsored dog, so we didn't get to name him, but Yv, YV means lake in finish.
Oh. And let me tell you, this dog pees like he is living in the lake. So I think we found the appropriate name for him.
Leslie: I think that's so funny that dogs and people sometimes really live up to their names. Yeah. You know, so you really gotta think about that when you're naming Any anything, [00:14:00] anyone, any pets.
That's so funny. So you guys are both on puppy
Christina: number three. Is this something you'll continue to do for multiple puppies or do you ever see yourself becoming breeding hosts? What do you think your journey is?
Greg (2): I think for sure we'll continue to do this, but I, I know if I, I, you know, we've kind of had the side conversation.
If, um, you know, one of 'em gets, uh, chosen to be a, um. You know, used for, uh, breeding services, we, we probably would. I mean, the way our current setup is, um, with neighbors and whatnot, we, so far, we're just sticking with males, so we probably won't go the female route. Yeah. But we don't wanna have to have an unfortunate conversation with
Lauren: male border colleagues next to us.
And I do not wanna have to explain that to
Greg: Leader dogs,
Greg (2): by the way. Uh, if that opportunity comes, um. It, it, it is something that we, we may end up discussing. Yeah. So for this, [00:15:00] for the last month now, we, we turned Olaf in what, uh, two weeks ago, Friday.
Christina: Oh, wow. And
Greg (2): so briefly, we had four in the house, four dogs, you know, so three, three had their stuff together.
They had the routine, we had our routine, we were good. And then little puppy came along, uh, you know, so that threw a couple of monkey wrenches in and, you know, I mean, just kinda like along the lines of. How did our day go? Going back to that, you know, okay, now it's scrambling to get witch dogs out at which time and, you know, to, to try to get all four to do what they need to do without 'em going in four different directions.
Me, personally, I'm calling, I'm looking at one of 'em. And so there's a white lab, there's a black lab, there's a, a adult yellow lab, and now the puppy yellow lab. Easily distinguishable for us, you know, with or without our glasses on. And yet, you know, I'm constantly calling him the wrong names. You know, I'm, I'm just, I, I'm looking right at lio, the, the, the black lab, and I'm calling him [00:16:00] Olaf.
Olaf is the yellow lab, you know, uh, Nitrox get over here. Nitrox is the white lab, and I'm looking at yv. So, you know, I mean, that, that just added a little bit of. Um, I don't wanna say stress, but just, uh, just extra, um, chaos, you know, to the hood. But, uh, but otherwise, you know, I mean, it, it's fun. I mean, I think we will still continue to raise, uh, you know, the, the puppies and it, it's been a, an unbelievable experience so far in, in little over a couple of years.
And, you know, we're eternally grateful for the opportunity to hopefully provide. A useful beast, you know, for someone and, and um, you know, so that they can help see the world.
Greg: Yeah,
Timothy: absolutely. So do you find it easier now every time you get another dog, easier to know what you're going to go through and do you change a little bit 'cause of the dogs?
I. You know, behavior or, or the way they act? Do you adjust a little bit or is it the same all the time?
Lauren: It nev [00:17:00] never the same. It's definitely an adjustment and, um, I actually, I have to say thank you to our puppy counselor, Cindy, who reminds me that when I show up to class and I have concerns, she's awesome about dealing with this new puppy, and this puppy is doing X, y, and Z and we're having trouble with this.
She's like, Lauren, this is not Lio. This is Olaf Lauren, this is not Olaf. This is rv. There, there's that changeover and it's different, and you're working on different, you know, different things with every single puppy. And you know that, that starting over is definitely a hard thing. And, and having those puppy counselors that kind of remind you of that, um, is very helpful.
Um, but yeah, I, I, I love doing it. I mean, the changeover. Is a challenge every single time. Um, you know, it, it, I can't say that it was any easier to turn in dog number two than it was to turn in dog number one. Um, but you know what to expect. And you know that, you know, in the back of your head, you're like, okay, this is the, the, the pattern that we're gonna go through.
It's the same way that the dogs learn. You know, we're [00:18:00] learning the same way we're learning the pattern. Um, you know, it doesn't make it any easier, but it makes it a, a little bit. More, you know, uh, easy to understand and to know what to, and anticipate what to expect. Yeah.
Christina: And you talked about your puppy counselor, so you're not in this alone.
Lauren: No.
Christina: There's a whole community. Let's touch on that aspect a little bit. 'cause I think sometimes people think, okay, I'm gonna put up this puppy now what do I do?
Lauren: Yeah. So this, um, the way that it's structured is that not only do we have a puppy counselor who is also a volunteer, and they're the ones that. We, uh, are obligated to go at least once a month to a class with them and they teach us how to teach the puppy.
Um, now Greg and I in particular, you know, especially being newer puppy raisers and have feeling clueless and not knowing that what we're doing, we, we try to go more often and sometimes we go to other classes too. 'cause each person has their own, um, things to contribute. And the way I look at it is. You know, one person might tell me to do it this way and another person tells me to do it a different way, but maybe this way works with me and this puppy and a different way works with me and another puppy.
And it's just a [00:19:00] different tool in our toolbox as a, as a puppy raiser. Um, but we also have a, um, a puppy coordinator and that's actually an employee of Leader Dog and they're the ones that kind of, um, keep track of where the puppies are at and help the puppy counselors if they need anything like that.
And, um, you know, kind of keep you. On track. I would say, um, the other part of the team for the puppy raising is the other people you're raising with. And that's a big part, uh, that it's, it's also a community for us. And, um, we've been very fortunate to be able to do some fun outings with the other puppy counselors and, or not puppy counselor, I'm sorry, puppy raisers.
And you just, uh, kind of coordinate amongst yourselves and you plan an outing. Uh, we've been able to, with maybe five or so different, uh, puppy raisers plan a trip that we. Just randomly go take the train down into Ann Arbor and have a lunch, walk around, practice some loose leash walking and take the train back just to expose the puppy to that type of a, a [00:20:00] transportation, you know, or we get together and we go down and tour the DIA and ride the Q line, or we get together and we go to a WINGS game.
And so we get to do all these different fun activities that you might not otherwise get to do. Um, and so yeah, it is just part of a team atmosphere.
Greg (2): As Lauren said. Yeah, definitely. That, that team, that community, uh, you know, I mean, it, it's great. We're all in this together. I mean, all the, the puppy raisers, yippee.
We're on dog number three. You know, people are, are we, were newbies and we're still newbies and we'll continue to be newbies. Um, you know, there, there's people, you know, in class that we see regularly. They're on dog, you know, 7, 8, 10 30, you know, and you know, it, it, it, it's amazing 'cause. We can always reach out to each other, um, and, and just see and, and, and learn.
And, and again, the, the puppy counselors, Cindy, and, and the others are, are just amazing. I mean, they're always there to provide that help or answer a question if, if we may have, um, [00:21:00] we've all gone through the same problems. We'll all have the same problems, but all the dogs are just different. And, and, but we're all going for the same goal.
And, and it's great to have that teamwork, that community.
Leslie: I love that. And you guys again, have really jumped in. 'cause not only did you do or start the puppy raising, but then you quickly were like, what more can we do, which we love as Leader Dog volunteers. So you got involved with the community engagement volunteers, and Lauren, I know we spoke kind of before the podcast about how that's really helped.
Kind of went out in the public. 'cause as you guys mentioned, right, you can't go anywhere with a puppy and people not stop you. They wanna know all about what you're doing, who's your dog? Why are you doing it? What motivates you? Kind of all those things. So, um, how has that whole experience been?
Lauren: I have to say, joining that community engagement team was probably one of the best things I did even.
To assist me as a puppy raiser because I didn't know about all of the other aspects of Leader Dog and the services they provide. I, I just knew about the puppy raising and we didn't know about all of the, even the different media and the [00:22:00] social media posts and the videos online that we could access.
'cause you're just so overwhelmed with this new project of trying to not mess up this puppy that you can't absorb all the other things at once. So it was about a year after we first started. Being puppy raisers that we joined this community engagement team and we just learned so much more about the world of blindness.
You know, it's a world that we really didn't know much about. And so just being able to immerse into that and understand the different services, I feel I can be a better advocate now and when I show up to do a presentation. For the community engagement team. It might be a school, it might be a, a group of Cub Scouts or girl scouts.
It might be, you know, an older women's group or a church. Um, and they just wanna know more about the organization and they really do wanna know more because, um, I. There's been times where I show up for an event and the, some of the people there recognize me. They actually invited us back because they heard us do a presentation to their church group, and they wanted this other group that they're part of to, [00:23:00] to hear the same message.
And so they invite us there and I show up and they recognize, they recognize the dog first. Yes, of course. But then they recognize me too. And, and they're, they remember what we've said because they'll raise their hand and they'll be like. Oh, you guys told us about the electric vehicles and how they train the dogs with those.
Can you please tell this group about that and can you please tell this group about Leader Dog? Um, the main fundraiser of dinner in the dark. They remember what we're telling them and they really wanna pass on the message to other people. So I, I just think that that's pretty amazing. Um, there's, there's been, um, a group of kids that we did, I did a presentation for at a elementary school, and, um.
The one teacher told me that this is the second time they've invited Leader Dog back to do the presentation because they want the kids to understand different aspects about the community and that there might be people out there that are different and they might not grasp the whole concept of the organization and what they provide.
But just knowing that this was, uh, a presentation that this classroom. Earned. So they had to do [00:24:00] good things in order to earn the ability to hear and see the dog and hear about the different things in the community. And I thought that was a very positive thing, is that start young and kinda teach the young kids, um, that there's other people out there that are, um, you know, just different and that it's okay.
Leslie: I love that. Just different and it's okay. That is something I try to preach to my kids all the time too, right? Kindness goes so far. And what a boring world. If we were all exactly the same. Ew. I don't want any part of it. Um, but anyways. As we're kind of wrapping up here, I'm curious, Greg, thinking about the last couple years as you guys have really dove into everything, what would you say to somebody who's considering puppy raising?
Maybe they've, you know, all they've got are these fears and concerns and things like that. What would you say to somebody.
Greg (2): Just simply take that, take that leap, take that plunge to uh, you know, uh, go for it. I, I mean, it, it's an amazing opportunity to help give back, you know, I mean, and, and whether it's as a puppy raiser, whether it's, you know, [00:25:00] volunteer on campus, I.
People always ask, oh my God, how could you Again, how do you do that? I mean, you guys must be, you know, amazing trainers and, and it's like we're bribing the dogs with food, you know? I mean, we're quote unquote cheating. I, I mean, but we're rewarding them for the behaviors that we want, you know, and oh, I. My, my dog could never do that.
Sure. They can, you know, I mean, but it, it, it takes, yeah, a little bit of work, but it's, it's really not that hard. So it, it, it's an incredibly rewarding, um, opportunity for us. Um, just briefly, we've been. Blessed and, and fortunate enough to go to the dinner in the dark. Um, you know, and again, people ask, how can you give the dog back?
Or, you know, when you hear the stories of the clients listening to, you know, the, the people talk, uh, a couple years ago or last year, uh, you know, the little boy, Caleb, you know, I still cannot. Recount that story without tearing up. I haven't met 'em, you know, but [00:26:00] my God, you know. But again, to, to hear what these dogs mean, um, you know, to the clients to, to understand, you know, it, it just makes it all worth it.
It makes it easy. It, it, it's not that hard. It's a. It's a little bit of time during our day, you know, to help train a dog and give back. And, and again, we're doing the simple stuff, you know, the, the real stars are the clients and, and the G DMIs and, and, um, the rest of the trainers we're just playing with a puppy, you know, for, for a year and, and doing some very basics.
Uh, you know, so for those, thinking about it, do it, you know, I mean, it, it's, it's an incredible experience to be able to give back.
Timothy: Well, as a client, I'd like to thank both of you for doing what you do because you guys are the foundation of a leader dog. Without you all, this is impossible 'cause it takes our puppy raisers.
We gotta, we gotta have the beginning and you guys are the beginning of it. And we want to, I want to thank you as a client for doing what you do.
Lauren: Well and as a puppy raiser, I wanna thank you for sharing your story because that's the [00:27:00] way that it makes it possible for us to turn in this dog that we've found a bond to is to hear the stories and to see what a difference that, that our.
Year with these dogs has made.
Leslie: Yeah. And Lauren, I know we're all, I just wanna, uh, read your quote again. You said that we came for the puppies, but we stayed for the people. And I think that seriously just wraps up Leader Dogs for the Blind sometimes as an organization. That is typically how we attract people.
Dogs. Puppies, they're so cute. But people do stay for the people. And it's our clients, of course, but it's other volunteers. It's the team members, it's donors. It is this community and sense of belonging and family that we create at Leader Dog. I've been at, you know, with Leader Dog for 11 years. I feel the same way.
I love it. I love this organization. I love everybody involved. So thank you guys so much for doing what you do, but also joining us today and sharing your story and your experience. We greatly appreciate it. Thank you, and thank you so much to our listeners for listening to the Taking the [00:28:00] Lead podcast.
I'm Leslie Hoskins with host Timothy Kyo and Christina Hepner. We hope you enjoyed learning about Lauren and Greg and their volunteer roles here at Leader Dog. Please join us next time as we continue to dive into the world of blindness.
Christina: If you'd like to learn more about applying to our free services at Leader Dog or Becoming a Puppy Raiser, you can head to leader dog.org or call us at (888) 777-5332.
Don't forget you can reach us at taking the lead@leaderdog.org with any questions or ideas. If you like today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and check us out wherever Podcast Stream.