Occupaws Guide Dog Association, founded in 2005, opened with a unique spin on the traditional method of guide dog training. Instead of having the visually impaired go to the facility to participate in a training program, like most other guide dog organizations require, Occupaws acts as an outreach program, making direct home visits.
""Some people can't leave their jobs, their kids or their families for a month, so Occupaws was set up to actually go to the person's home and train them so they don't have to go away to school,"" said Mark Schultze, treasurer of Occupaws.
This distinctive form of training is beneficial for both the person and the dog.
""They get trained in their home environment so the day they are given the final hand over, the dog already knows how to get to work, how to get to the bus station, how to get to all of the places that the individual goes,"" said Mark Schultze.
Not only does Occupaws provide home environment training programs, the association also donates dogs to the visually impaired absolutely free.
As soon as dogs are born, they begin training. Puppy raisers teach dogs simple exercises, like holding them upright and on their sides, exposing them to sounds and teaching them to sit and stay. At three weeks, they are potty-trained and at eight weeks old, they can go out in public to begin socialization.
Training typically takes place through volunteer puppy raisers that help socialize and obedience train a puppy anywhere from eight weeks to 12-18 months.
Occupaws teaches puppy raisers how to train the dogs through classes at the facility twice a month. Whenever the dogs are fully trained, which is at about age 14-16 months, they are given back to Occupaws and then placed with a visually impaired recipient, said Mark Schultze.
Puppy raisers are sometimes families, retired senior citizens, or even college students.
""One of our most successful guide dogs was socialized by a graduate student at UW-Madison,"" said Barb Schultze, president of Occupaws.
Aiden Caes, a former graduate student in the School of Library and Information Studies, worked with Occupaws and was a puppy raiser for Promise, a female black Labrador Retriever.
""Basically, I took Promise everywhere I went and taught her to behave appropriately in any circumstance she might come across, be it riding the bus, going to meetings, sitting through class or being home,"" Caes said. ""Guide dogs need to be unflappable and happy to work, so as raisers, we go out of our way to challenge our dogs with unique situations that they might encounter as a guide.""
Caes specifically focused on teaching Promise to ignore other dogs and pedestrians on the street and to understand the difference between work time and playtime.
""People who saw Promise at school or work thought she was a mellow, laid-back dog, but that was her public face,"" Caes said. ""When she was in vest, she knew she was working. When we got home and the vest came off, she was all about play.""
In addition, Occupaws offers the Children's Visual Companion Dog program (CVCD).
""Most organizations wait to train children until they are about 17 or 18,"" said Mark Schultze.
But Occupaws feels differently. It is the only facility in the United States that trains children's vision companion dogs for blind or visually impaired youth. Occupaws believes that the ability for children to train with guide dogs increases their independence, self-esteem, stability and confidence.
""If you have a blind child over the age of six, we will give you a specially trained dog, and we will train you and the child on how to get around in the world,"" said Barb.
Occupaws relies solely on public donations to fund their programs. UW-Madison chapter of Delta Gamma is one of those contributors. The sorority has a reciprocal relationship with Occupaws, in which donations are made through fundraisers and support for events.
""Occupaws has helped educate the women of Delta Gamma on the experiences of the blind, how we can best assist the blind and visually impaired, and generally helped us become more aware,"" said Kirsten O'Haver, vice president of philanthropy for Delta Gamma.
""Our big spring philanthropic event, which is coming up in April, is called ‘Anchorsplash,' a water sports competition held at the SERF,"" said O'Haver. ""The proceeds go to Occupaws and other local chapters of vision impaired service organizations.""
For the past five years, Delta Gamma's work with Occupaws has helped to achieve the overall national chapter mission to promote ""Service for Sight.""
""They are a conscientious, committed organization who deserves this campus' interest and support,"" said O'Haver. ""The success of their organization shows how a small group of dedicated people with big hearts truly can make a difference.""
