Zola the Guide Dog Puppy

In February 2011 I drove down to San Rafael and picked up a sweet bundle of love named Zola. Zola is a female yellow Labrador Retriever and is part of the puppy raising program for Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB).

Zola the day I brought her home.

The time has come for Zola to return to GDB soon to begin the next phase of her training. So yesterday we went to San Francisco for one last big hurrah.

We probably walked about 4 miles or so in total. We walked along the Embarcadero starting at pier 15, walked around Fisherman’s Wharf, and on up to Ghiradelli square. We walked in and out of a lot of crowds and loud noises, different smells and up and down a LOT of stairs. Nothing really phased her. Once a car squealed their tires at a stoplight as we were walking by, and other than briefly flattening her ears back and slightly glancing in that direction, she didn’t really react.

During lunch, I accidentally dropped a french fry, and it landed a few inches from her nose. She did a very good job of ignoring it for several minutes, but then decided to be very sly and reach out her paw and try to slide it toward her. It was all I could do not to laugh as I corrected her, but she ignored it again after that. We walked by the sea lions, and she was curious about their barking. We went to Rainforest Cafe and she was intrigued by the tropical fish and the animated gorillas. We sat down in the bar area for a few minutes, and shortly after she laid her head down to rest, the animatronic elephants near us started moving and making noise at the same time as the simulated thunderstorm. She didn’t react at all, although she did eventually lift her head slightly as if to see what was disturbing her sleep.

I have no doubt that she will do great when she goes back to GDB. It has been such a pleasure to raise her and I can’t wait to watch her progress.

To learn more about volunteering as a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind, please visit their website.

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