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Erica’s story
As a kid, I was painfully shy. I mean, I wouldn’t even look people in the face when they spoke to me. So my mom really wanted me to get involved with an activity to help me overcome[克服] my shyness. At the same time, there was a family on our street that raised guide dogs[导盲犬] for the blind, and my mom thought it would be a good idea if I tried it too. I didn’t know much about guide dogs back then except that blind people used them, but I thought it sounded interesting.
I started by going to a few meetings at the local Guide Dogs for the Blind organization to learn more about the program, and I really liked what I heard. I knew I wanted to do this. Then a leader came to our house to make sure it was dog-safe, like no poisonous[有毒的] plants and a fenced-in yard[院子]. After that, we had to puppy[小狗]-sit before getting one of our own to raise. I adored[喜爱] that puppy, and I couldn’t wait to get our first dog.
That was nearly ten years ago and we’ve raise eight dogs so far. The puppies are each about eight weeks old when they come to live with our family, and they stay with us until they’re about one or one and a half years old. Our job is to raise them to be well-mannered. We take them everywhere we go to help them become comfortable in different environments. We’ve taken them to places like carnivals[狂欢节] and the mall. It’s so much fun to see the dogs in new situations because they’re curious with everything. They’re so cute and I love watching them explore.
We also teach the dogs the basics, like to sit and stay, and when to cross the street. Plus, we have to make sure they don’t play with certain toys, like Frisbees[飞盘] or balls, because guide dogs can’t be distracted[分神] when they’re with their seeing-impaired[削弱] owners.
After they’ve mastered these behaviors, we hand them over to the Guide Dogs for the Blind school for more specific training. There’s no way we can tell if each pup[小狗] is going to be successful as a guide dog after they leave us ?only one out of four dogs goes on to be a guide ?but all of ours have passed so far. Even the two that we thought were just too wild passed without any problems!
At first, it was hard to give up the animals when they were ready for that next phase[阶段], but we know they’re doing important work. When the time comes, I usually say, “See you at graduation.”There’s a big ceremony where the raisers hand over the dogs?leashes[拴狗颈的皮带] to their new owners.
Raising these dogs has definitely given me more confidence and helped me get over my shyness. People are always approaching us with questions. At first I would just look down at the dog when that happened, but over time, I’ve become more confident. Now I look people in the eye and I’m no longer shy.
Michelle’s story
I was too young to help out when my sister first started raising guide dogs, but I remember I really wanted to be involved. By the time we received our second puppy, I was old enough to help feed and walk her, and teach her obedience[服从]. At first, I was nervous being around these dogs, even though we’ve had a pet dog as far back as I can remember. In fact, our pet, named Bailey, acts like she’s the queen of the house. All the puppies have wanted to play with her. She’s pretty good with them, but the young ones quickly learn when Bailey isn’t in the mood to play.
I usually take the dogs to school with me and everybody wants to pet[拥抱] them in the halls. One of the puppies, Bamboo, was funny because she’d snore[打鼾] during my chemistry class. It made the other kids laugh, but I couldn’t really scold[责骂] her for sleeping ?she was being good, just loud!
My teachers have been pretty cool about letting me bring the animals to school. I’ve had to make sure no one in my classes was allergic[过敏的] to dogs or super afraid of them. The only real restrictions were that I couldn’t have them in the science labs, but that was for their own safety.
We’ve just finished raising Hollywood, a yellow lab[拉布拉多猎狗] which was just great. Each one of our dogs has had her own little quirks[怪癖] and a unique personality, and I’ve loved everyone of them. When the puppies are little and experiencing things for the first time, they can be uneasy and nervous, but they quickly start to trust us and understand that we’re not going to let anything hurt them. I’ve learned to have a lot of patience working with these animals because they don’t always listen and they’re a lot of responsibility. Still, raising guide dogs has been an amazing and really wonderful experience.
埃里卡的故事
小时候，我很害羞，这令我很痛苦。我的意思是，别人跟我说话时我甚至不敢正视对方。因此，妈妈非常希望我通过某种活动来克服胆怯。就在这个时候，我们住的那条街上有一户人在为盲人驯养导盲犬，妈妈觉得如果我也试一下，那会是个不错的主意。那时，我对导盲犬了解不多，只知道这些狗是给盲人用的，但我认为这个想法挺有趣。
刚开始，我参加了一些由地方导盲犬中心组织的集会，从中了解到更多关于该项目的知识，也对自己所听到的东西很感兴趣。我知道自己很想参与其中。接着，一名领班来我们家视察，确保我家是一个对狗安全的地方，比如没有有毒的植物，院子是有栅栏围着的。之后，我们要临时照看小狗一段时间，才能在自己家里驯养导盲犬。我非常喜爱那只小狗，非常期待领养我们家的第一只导盲犬。
这已是差不多十年前的事了。到现在为止，我们家养过八只狗。那些小狗在大约八周大的时候来我们家，与我们同住到大约一岁或一岁半。我们的工作是驯养它们听话、懂规矩。我们去哪里都把它们带上，从而帮助它们适应不同的环境。比如嘉年华和购物商场，我们都带它们去。看到导盲犬适应新环境是一件乐事，因为它们对所有事物都很好奇。它们太可爱了，我最爱看着它们到处摸索。
我们也教给小狗一些基本技能，比如坐下和呆着，还有什么时候过马路等。另外，我们必须教会它们不能玩弄某些玩具，比如飞盘或球类，因为在与有视力障碍的主人一起时，导盲犬不能分心。
在它们掌握了这些基本举止以后，我们便把它们交给导盲犬学校作进一步的特殊训练。每当送走了小狗，我们不知道哪一只小狗能被成功驯养为导盲犬—能成为导盲犬的机会只有四分之一—但目前我们所送走的小狗都合格了。即使那两只我们觉得野性十足的小狗也很顺利地通过了考核！
一开始，要送走小狗的确让我们依依不舍，但我们知道它们肩负重任。分别之际，我常对它们说：“毕业礼上再见。” 每当导盲犬正式从驯养员手中转交给狗的新主人时，导盲犬学校都会举办一个隆重的交接仪式。
驯养这些狗的确增强了我的自信心并帮助我克服了胆怯。人们经常向我们提问题。要是遇上这种情况，刚开始我只会低头看着小狗，但经过多次以后，我变得更加自信。现在我能正视对方，不再害羞了。
米歇尔的故事
当姐姐开始驯养导盲犬时，我年纪还很小，帮不了什么忙，但我记得自己确实很想参与其中。到我们接到第二只小狗时，我已够岁数帮助喂养小狗，陪它出去溜达，以及训导它服从命令。刚开始和这些狗在一起时，我感到紧张不安，尽管在我记忆中，很久以前我们也养过一只宠物狗。事实上，我们的宠物狗名叫“贝莉”，它的举止就像是一家之主。所有的小狗都想跟它玩。它对待小狗也很友善，但小狗很快便意识到贝莉什么时候没心情玩耍。
我常常带小狗上学，门厅里的每个人都想抱抱它们。一只名叫“班布”的小狗很有趣，因为它会在我的化学课上打鼾。这让其它同学捧腹大笑，但我不忍心责备它睡觉—它很乖，只是声音大了点儿！
我的老师一直都很通融，同意我带小狗上学。我要确保班上没有人对狗过敏，或者特别怕狗。我唯一的限制是不能带小狗到科学实验室，但这也是为了它们的安全着想。
我们刚送走一只很乖巧的，名叫“好莱坞”的黄色拉布拉多犬。我们养的每一只狗都有自己的小怪癖和与众不同的个性，每一只我都很喜欢。当小狗年纪还小，第一次接触新事物时，它们会相当紧张不安，但它们很快就开始信任我们，知道我们不会伤害它们。通过与小狗一起相处，我学到要很有耐性，因为它们不常听话，却肩负重任。尽管这样，驯养导盲犬依然是令人惊叹的美妙经历。
As a kid, I was painfully shy. I mean, I wouldn’t even look people in the face when they spoke to me. So my mom really wanted me to get involved with an activity to help me overcome[克服] my shyness. At the same time, there was a family on our street that raised guide dogs[导盲犬] for the blind, and my mom thought it would be a good idea if I tried it too. I didn’t know much about guide dogs back then except that blind people used them, but I thought it sounded interesting.
I started by going to a few meetings at the local Guide Dogs for the Blind organization to learn more about the program, and I really liked what I heard. I knew I wanted to do this. Then a leader came to our house to make sure it was dog-safe, like no poisonous[有毒的] plants and a fenced-in yard[院子]. After that, we had to puppy[小狗]-sit before getting one of our own to raise. I adored[喜爱] that puppy, and I couldn’t wait to get our first dog.
That was nearly ten years ago and we’ve raise eight dogs so far. The puppies are each about eight weeks old when they come to live with our family, and they stay with us until they’re about one or one and a half years old. Our job is to raise them to be well-mannered. We take them everywhere we go to help them become comfortable in different environments. We’ve taken them to places like carnivals[狂欢节] and the mall. It’s so much fun to see the dogs in new situations because they’re curious with everything. They’re so cute and I love watching them explore.
We also teach the dogs the basics, like to sit and stay, and when to cross the street. Plus, we have to make sure they don’t play with certain toys, like Frisbees[飞盘] or balls, because guide dogs can’t be distracted[分神] when they’re with their seeing-impaired[削弱] owners.
After they’ve mastered these behaviors, we hand them over to the Guide Dogs for the Blind school for more specific training. There’s no way we can tell if each pup[小狗] is going to be successful as a guide dog after they leave us ?only one out of four dogs goes on to be a guide ?but all of ours have passed so far. Even the two that we thought were just too wild passed without any problems!
At first, it was hard to give up the animals when they were ready for that next phase[阶段], but we know they’re doing important work. When the time comes, I usually say, “See you at graduation.”There’s a big ceremony where the raisers hand over the dogs?leashes[拴狗颈的皮带] to their new owners.
Raising these dogs has definitely given me more confidence and helped me get over my shyness. People are always approaching us with questions. At first I would just look down at the dog when that happened, but over time, I’ve become more confident. Now I look people in the eye and I’m no longer shy.
Michelle’s story
I was too young to help out when my sister first started raising guide dogs, but I remember I really wanted to be involved. By the time we received our second puppy, I was old enough to help feed and walk her, and teach her obedience[服从]. At first, I was nervous being around these dogs, even though we’ve had a pet dog as far back as I can remember. In fact, our pet, named Bailey, acts like she’s the queen of the house. All the puppies have wanted to play with her. She’s pretty good with them, but the young ones quickly learn when Bailey isn’t in the mood to play.
I usually take the dogs to school with me and everybody wants to pet[拥抱] them in the halls. One of the puppies, Bamboo, was funny because she’d snore[打鼾] during my chemistry class. It made the other kids laugh, but I couldn’t really scold[责骂] her for sleeping ?she was being good, just loud!
My teachers have been pretty cool about letting me bring the animals to school. I’ve had to make sure no one in my classes was allergic[过敏的] to dogs or super afraid of them. The only real restrictions were that I couldn’t have them in the science labs, but that was for their own safety.
We’ve just finished raising Hollywood, a yellow lab[拉布拉多猎狗] which was just great. Each one of our dogs has had her own little quirks[怪癖] and a unique personality, and I’ve loved everyone of them. When the puppies are little and experiencing things for the first time, they can be uneasy and nervous, but they quickly start to trust us and understand that we’re not going to let anything hurt them. I’ve learned to have a lot of patience working with these animals because they don’t always listen and they’re a lot of responsibility. Still, raising guide dogs has been an amazing and really wonderful experience.
埃里卡的故事
小时候，我很害羞，这令我很痛苦。我的意思是，别人跟我说话时我甚至不敢正视对方。因此，妈妈非常希望我通过某种活动来克服胆怯。就在这个时候，我们住的那条街上有一户人在为盲人驯养导盲犬，妈妈觉得如果我也试一下，那会是个不错的主意。那时，我对导盲犬了解不多，只知道这些狗是给盲人用的，但我认为这个想法挺有趣。
刚开始，我参加了一些由地方导盲犬中心组织的集会，从中了解到更多关于该项目的知识，也对自己所听到的东西很感兴趣。我知道自己很想参与其中。接着，一名领班来我们家视察，确保我家是一个对狗安全的地方，比如没有有毒的植物，院子是有栅栏围着的。之后，我们要临时照看小狗一段时间，才能在自己家里驯养导盲犬。我非常喜爱那只小狗，非常期待领养我们家的第一只导盲犬。
这已是差不多十年前的事了。到现在为止，我们家养过八只狗。那些小狗在大约八周大的时候来我们家，与我们同住到大约一岁或一岁半。我们的工作是驯养它们听话、懂规矩。我们去哪里都把它们带上，从而帮助它们适应不同的环境。比如嘉年华和购物商场，我们都带它们去。看到导盲犬适应新环境是一件乐事，因为它们对所有事物都很好奇。它们太可爱了，我最爱看着它们到处摸索。
我们也教给小狗一些基本技能，比如坐下和呆着，还有什么时候过马路等。另外，我们必须教会它们不能玩弄某些玩具，比如飞盘或球类，因为在与有视力障碍的主人一起时，导盲犬不能分心。
在它们掌握了这些基本举止以后，我们便把它们交给导盲犬学校作进一步的特殊训练。每当送走了小狗，我们不知道哪一只小狗能被成功驯养为导盲犬—能成为导盲犬的机会只有四分之一—但目前我们所送走的小狗都合格了。即使那两只我们觉得野性十足的小狗也很顺利地通过了考核！
一开始，要送走小狗的确让我们依依不舍，但我们知道它们肩负重任。分别之际，我常对它们说：“毕业礼上再见。” 每当导盲犬正式从驯养员手中转交给狗的新主人时，导盲犬学校都会举办一个隆重的交接仪式。
驯养这些狗的确增强了我的自信心并帮助我克服了胆怯。人们经常向我们提问题。要是遇上这种情况，刚开始我只会低头看着小狗，但经过多次以后，我变得更加自信。现在我能正视对方，不再害羞了。
米歇尔的故事
当姐姐开始驯养导盲犬时，我年纪还很小，帮不了什么忙，但我记得自己确实很想参与其中。到我们接到第二只小狗时，我已够岁数帮助喂养小狗，陪它出去溜达，以及训导它服从命令。刚开始和这些狗在一起时，我感到紧张不安，尽管在我记忆中，很久以前我们也养过一只宠物狗。事实上，我们的宠物狗名叫“贝莉”，它的举止就像是一家之主。所有的小狗都想跟它玩。它对待小狗也很友善，但小狗很快便意识到贝莉什么时候没心情玩耍。
我常常带小狗上学，门厅里的每个人都想抱抱它们。一只名叫“班布”的小狗很有趣，因为它会在我的化学课上打鼾。这让其它同学捧腹大笑，但我不忍心责备它睡觉—它很乖，只是声音大了点儿！
我的老师一直都很通融，同意我带小狗上学。我要确保班上没有人对狗过敏，或者特别怕狗。我唯一的限制是不能带小狗到科学实验室，但这也是为了它们的安全着想。
我们刚送走一只很乖巧的，名叫“好莱坞”的黄色拉布拉多犬。我们养的每一只狗都有自己的小怪癖和与众不同的个性，每一只我都很喜欢。当小狗年纪还小，第一次接触新事物时，它们会相当紧张不安，但它们很快就开始信任我们，知道我们不会伤害它们。通过与小狗一起相处，我学到要很有耐性，因为它们不常听话，却肩负重任。尽管这样，驯养导盲犬依然是令人惊叹的美妙经历。