February 13, 2025 • 27 mins
On this episode of the Seeing Eye Dogs Show, we have three segments to share.
Seeing Eye Dog Instructor Mikaela Smith shares an exciting announcement about the 2025 Seeing Eye Dogs Roadshow in regional NSW and ACT Canberra in March.
Puppy carer Phil Taylor shares his story and tells us about his life as a volunteer puppy carer. Phil is in his 80s and has been a puppy carer for 14 years showing many puppies the ropes through a busy and active retirement. Learn about puppy caring and other volunteer roles on our website.
Then we have vet tips from Dr Jacinta Millard from our vet team talking about arthritis in dogs.
If you'd like to find out more about Seeing Eye Dogs head to our website: https://sed.visionaustralia.org/
The NSW/ACT Roadshow will be held in March with our team touring across Regional New South Wales and to Canberra, ACT. These events are open to all and free to attend. Email us now at SEDClients@visionaustralia.org to secure your spot or head to the NSW/ACT Roadshow article on SED website for more info. You can also email us at info@sed.org.au or call on 1800 037 773 to chat about dog guide mobility, eligibility or assessment.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:11):
You're listening to the Seeing Eye Dog show on Vision
Australia Radio. With me, your host, Harriet Moffatt. Today I'm
going to play three segments for you. First instructor Mikaela
Smith is joining us to share an exciting announcement about
the 2025 New South Wales Seeing Eye Dogs Roadshow in
regional New South Wales and Canberra in March. This event
(00:31):
will give current and potential handlers a chance to find
out about Dog Guide Mobility becoming a handler with us,
and also they'll get the chance to meet the team
and some dogs and potentially go for a trial walk
as well. Then I've got an interview with Phil Taylor,
Puppy care at Seeing Eye Dogs. Phil is in his
80s and has been a puppy carer for 14 years,
showing many puppies the ropes through a busy and active retirement.
(00:55):
Then to round up the show, I have a clip
and some vet tips from Doctor Jacinta Millard from our
dog's vet team talking about arthritis in dogs. I hope
you enjoy the show. Now let's kick off with our
first clip of the day with Michaela Smith.
S2 (01:17):
Hi there, I'm Michaela. I'm one of the instructors based
in New South Wales. I'm really excited to share that
the Seeing Eye Dogs Road show is going to be
heading around the regional areas of New South Wales this
coming March. After the success of this road show in
Sydney back in November 2024. At the road show, there'll
(01:38):
be the opportunity to talk to the two New South
Wales based instructors to have a chat about seeing eye
dog mobility, what it involves, what the differences are between
having a seeing eye dog, using a long cane, or
potentially currently using no mobility aid. Um, there'll also be
some wonderful seeing eye dogs there that you can meet
to cuddle, of course. Um, but also to have the
(01:59):
opportunity to take for a trial walk. So that will
involve doing a small walk around the local area, um,
to feel what it feels like to actually be guided
by a dog guide. The road show is open to
current handlers that are looking for support or guidance. Um,
anyone that's interested in finding out more about seeing eye
(02:21):
dogs as a mobility aid and also friends, families and
support workers of those who are blind or have low
vision that might be interested in using a seeing eye
dog now or in the future. After attending the roadshow,
there is absolutely no pressure to then apply for a
seeing eye dog. It's simply just an opportunity to explore
that form of mobility aid. Of course, if you are
(02:42):
interested in applying, then the instructors there on the day
will be able to go through the process with you
and support you through the process of applying to be
a seeing eye dog handler. We've got seven locations for
the roadshow coming up in March. Uh, it'll be Monday,
March the 10th in Port Macquarie. Tuesday, March 11th, in
Coffs Harbour. Wednesday 12th of March in Tweed Heads. Tuesday
(03:07):
the 18th of March in Canberra. Wednesday the 19th of
March in Wollongong. Monday the 24th of March in Gosford.
And Tuesday the 25th of March in Newcastle. All of
the sessions begin at 10:30 a.m. and will run until
approximately 130 in the afternoon, and there will be refreshments
(03:28):
provided as well. If anyone's interested in attending, you can
register via the website or you can email clients at
Vision Australia. So please do register and we hope to
see you there.
S1 (03:45):
If you'd like to find out more about the New
South Wales Roadshow, you can, as Michaela said, email clients
at Vision Australia or head to our website at. Now
I'm going to be joined by Phil Taylor, who is
going to chat to us about his life and his
story as a volunteer. I hope you enjoy. Hi Phil,
(04:06):
thank you for joining me on the show today. I'd
love to start off if you could please introduce yourself.
S3 (04:11):
Okay. My name is Phil Taylor. I am the youngest
of nine boys born in Perth, Western Australia, 88 years ago.
I have four children, 13 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
S1 (04:32):
Wow. That's a lot of a lot of family. And
the ninth boy in your family?
S3 (04:37):
Yes. And then there was a girl.
S4 (04:41):
So what is your role as a volunteer with seeing
eye dogs?
S3 (04:45):
Puppy care.
S4 (04:46):
And how long have you been puppy caring for? And
how many puppies have you cared for in your time?
S3 (04:52):
I've had. I've been 14 years with seeing eye dogs
and I've had 18 puppies. Uh, and then five for
very short periods, relieving other people. Yeah. Weekend or three weeks. Uh, yeah,
but I've enjoyed every one of them. I imagine you've
(05:15):
got a couple.
S1 (05:16):
Except for a couple. That's reasonable. I think sometimes you
get on with some better than others, and I'm assuming
really very much. You found no two are the same.
S3 (05:25):
No, no, no, you have to sit down with them
and and observe them and get to know them. Because
like human beings, the docs vary so much in temperament
and and the things that you can teach them, some
of them you can't teach a couple. Very, very difficult
(05:45):
to try and teach.
S1 (05:46):
They've probably not wanted to learn. Thinking back to, I
guess 14 years ago, do you remember why you decided
to start volunteering?
S3 (05:57):
Yes. We got we decided we'd have a puppy for
the children's sake. Uh. Um, from then onwards, will always
have a dog in the house. And when my wife
had to go into care, the dog I had had
to be put down because it had medical complaints. And
(06:21):
I just wondered what I was going to do. And
then I saw the advertisement for seeing my dogs, and
I thought, oh, this would be terrific. Um, I'd have
wouldn't have to bother about the dog getting old. I
could have, um, puppies all the time. So that's why
I decided to contact seeing eye dogs.
S1 (06:44):
And, um. And now you've very much made made up
the time, you know, that's like eight, 18, uh, 18
puppies is very much a good cycle of different dogs.
And you don't have to watch any of them grow old,
which is quite nice in some ways.
S3 (06:57):
Right. I just look forward to having another little puppy
to train. I've loved every minute. Loved every minute of training.
And I find it so challenging. Um, yeah.
S1 (07:11):
Challenging, but in a positive way.
S3 (07:14):
Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Want to know what my puppy is?
Current puppy is Linda. She is due to go in soon.
I don't know what they can't. They've got to make
up their mind what they're going to happen to her.
She's either going into breeding or going into training or
(07:36):
the other. I'd like her to go into training, because
I've had quite a few puppies that have gone into
breeding and they they're changed. Have one go into the training. And, um.
Ringo is the daughter of quiver. The Best, as I'm concerned,
(08:01):
the best puppy that I ever had. She was so
eager to learn and so gentle and quiet. It was
just perfection as far as I was concerned. When they
said that, um, we just had a litter of puppies
and I was due to get a new one, I
(08:22):
asked if I could have one of those. They gave
me lingo.
S1 (08:27):
And how have you found lingo? I guess with the
idea of, you know who Hoover was?
S3 (08:34):
Well, my last post, I've been comparing them.
S1 (08:38):
Yeah.
S3 (08:39):
But lingo. Very good. Extremely good. She's quiet and loving
and obedient. And then they she. Hasn't quite come up
to the standard.
S1 (08:55):
That quiver has probably got a bit of a of
a legacy in your mind, and it's very hard to
come out of her shadow, but I'm sure lingo is
going to try her very best.
S3 (09:05):
Yeah, yeah. All she does is she's very good at
what she does.
S1 (09:12):
So what is the typical day in the life of
you and lingo or potentially, you know, what do you
get up to in some of your weeks together?
S3 (09:20):
Well, it varies during the week. On a Monday and Tuesday,
I'll go and play table tennis in Mornington at a
large club there, and the ones I play with are
all over 40. I called, they called the Teenagers, um,
(09:44):
because they came. We have fun. We don't take it
too seriously. All the puppies, except for a couple, have
just laid down next to the court while I'm playing,
or table while I'm Fun playing and just watch. Watch
what's going on. So they've all been extremely good. Just
(10:05):
being quiet and just observing atmosphere and things like that. Well,
each day I get up at about 8:00, take the
puppies out the toilet, um, and give them their breakfast.
And then we do what we have to do on
a Wednesday. We go out for a nice long walk
(10:28):
and come home, have a bit of fun in the garden.
The rest of the day we just work in the
garden or do other jobs around the house. And the
puppies usually follow me around and observe what I'm doing.
And then on a Thursday, I bring in a large
choir or youth choir. People who are retired at the
(10:53):
moment was about 80 people in the choir. More practice,
or about 2.5 hours each Thursday when we come home
and I do whatever jobs are necessary. So on weekends
(11:13):
I usually get up and go for a walk and
then do what we have to do. And I usually
my son comes and visits me and he's got a
little dog, and we go out for a walk on
Sunday morning together. And that's that's about the what I do,
(11:36):
except for going shopping, you know. So very good walking
along beside the trolley. And I'm doing my shopping. Never,
never trying to go and say hello to anyone. She
just stays by myself. So she's very good in that way.
S1 (11:57):
It sounds like you've got a very busy life with
quite a lot of extracurriculars too. It sounds like she's
got a lot of different things that she accompanies you to.
S3 (12:06):
Yeah, there's a lot of stimulus for her or any
of the puppies to keep fit. I think they enjoy
going around with me. Of course, we have training sessions
every month where Claire organizes, um, go to different places
(12:27):
with other dogs.
S1 (12:29):
So what do you find the most rewarding or enjoyable
about caring?
S3 (12:35):
Oh, the training challenge is the most enjoyable. Each dog
has its own challenges to bring up, and I have
to find some way of teaching them and overcoming those challenges. And.
Of course, that's the company I'm. I raised by myself
(13:01):
and mine are having a dog is a terrific company owner.
S1 (13:07):
And when it comes to, I guess, those challenges, what
do you find the most challenging about puppy caring?
S3 (13:15):
Um, I suppose the most challenging part is teaching them
to walk. Quite a lot of them put the lead
on them and take them out the front. They don't
want to go anywhere. I've had to find means and
ways of getting them to walk. So which quite a
(13:38):
few of them. I pick them up and walk about 200m,
put them down and let them go and they usually
head right hand. So that's one way of getting them
to And another trick that Tim taught me was to
(13:59):
try a soft toy on the end of the stick
and walk along with that in front of them. But
that's been the biggest challenge, just getting them started. The
bear walking.
S1 (14:12):
Is that kind of for your eight week old puppy?
S3 (14:14):
Yeah, with the eight week old puppy. Just need that
little bit of encouragement.
S1 (14:20):
I guess that's one of those things that requires quite
a lot of patience in those early days. But I'm
assuming that kind of you've got it nailed pretty quickly
after that.
S3 (14:30):
You have to be extremely patient. You can't lose your
temper with them that certain, very patient, and let them
learn at their own pace. Some learn very quickly. Others
it takes a little time. It's all very challenging and
heartwarming to see them grow.
S1 (14:51):
Like you said, if the challenge is one of the
things that you like the best about it, the fact
that it is difficult, kind of adds to the fun
of working them all out.
S3 (14:58):
Yeah. More challenge, the better. Yeah. So you only have
to look at the statistics of the reading and that
small percentage of the puppies that ever get through to
become seeing eye dogs. I feel I'm doing a little
(15:19):
bit towards that challenge.
S1 (15:22):
Yeah, definitely. Without carers you wouldn't have the program that
you would. You wouldn't have dogs that know how to
live in homes.
S3 (15:30):
Yeah. Yeah.
S1 (15:32):
Well, I'd like to just ask if you're happy to
finish off, if you have any messages to share with
anyone considering volunteering or caring.
S3 (15:42):
You have to remember that the dog is happy. That
you are given is not a pet. That's how you
have to treat them. Um, I think can't be too
familiar with the dog. I can be very, very happy
to see you. And you can treat them as a
(16:04):
working dog, not allowing them to get up on the
furniture and making sure that they go to sleep in
their cage. I think they thrive on discipline and routines
that thrive on routine.
S1 (16:22):
Well, thank you so much for all of the work
that you've done and for coming on the show, sharing
your story.
S3 (16:28):
Oh my pleasure. I've enjoyed the last 14 years trying
to train the dog up to the standard that was
required for them to become adults.
S1 (16:48):
You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dog show on
Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interview with Phil.
We are looking for puppy carers across parts of Victoria,
New South Wales and Queensland regions that are listed on
our website. If you'd like to find out more about
puppy care, and you can head to that website at npr.org.
Or you can attend an upcoming information session on one
(17:10):
is online for all States, which is on Tuesday, February
18th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight
Time or 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time.
So don't forget to head to that website, or you
can head to our socials at on Facebook or Australia
(17:31):
on Instagram to find out more information and keep up
with the upcoming events where you can come and meet
our puppies. To finish off this episode now, I'm going
to be playing an interview with Doctor Jacinta Millard from
our Senior Dogs vet team talking about arthritis in dogs.
Thank you for listening. Hi, Jacinta, thank you for joining
me on the show today.
S5 (17:50):
Thank you for having me, Harriet.
S1 (17:53):
So we're just gonna start off talking a bit about, um,
arthritis in dogs and kind of how to manage it
and what that looks like. So just to start off
with what is arthritis in dogs?
S5 (18:03):
Okay, so arthritis in dogs is pretty similar to arthritis
in humans. It's degenerative joint disease where um, the joint itself,
any joint in the dog, um, I guess wears away
at the cartilage on the edges and we get some
bone deposition and bone growth, which can increase the pain
in the joint, um, slowing them down and making them uncomfortable.
S1 (18:23):
So as far as kind of symptoms or what that
looks like, what are the symptoms of a dog having arthritis?
S5 (18:29):
Yeah. So commonly people will come in and say that
their dogs are slowing down. They notice that they're a
bit slower on their walks, or they're reluctant to walk
or reluctant to run and do activities that they've normally, um,
done quite frequently. They might play less, they might be
just slowing down. In general, a lot of the time
we notice that dogs with arthritis will be slow getting
up from their from their bed and slow getting down
(18:51):
again when they're laying down. Um, and yeah, generally just
a slowing the slowing down of activity and that sort
of thing.
S1 (18:59):
So I think a lot of the time we kind
of um, what's the word kind of arthritis to kind
of age is, is arthritis only in older dogs.
S5 (19:09):
No. We can get arthritis in young dogs as well.
Any disruption to the joint? Um, say they've had surgery
in the joint or anything like that can increase the
chance of arthritis forming in that joint. Um, because it's
altering the mechanics of how force is being applied through
the joint. And that alters the structure of the joint. Um, yeah.
So it's not just old dogs, though. It's more commonly
(19:29):
seen in older dogs.
S1 (19:31):
Is arthritis progressive? Um, and is there anything that can
be done to avoid it becoming worse?
S5 (19:37):
Yeah. So arthritis is progressive. We have multiple treatments available
at the moment which slow the progression, but nothing actually
can stop the progression of arthritis similar to that in
that in humans. Um, so there's a few things we
have up our sleeves, a lot of nutraceuticals and things
that we can add to their food. So it's not
necessarily a drug, but it's like a supplement that we
(19:59):
add into their diet. Something like fish oil with omega
three and omega six has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties
on the joint. Um, so it can reduce the inflammation
which is causing the pain associated with the arthritis. Um,
we also have ingredients that we can put in as
supplements that increase joint fluid production and protect the cartilage
(20:19):
that's still existing in the joint.
S1 (20:22):
So are there any other factors that would make the
symptoms worse? Um, for a dog, even things like, say,
kind of weather, other conditions and like, say, the types
of exercise that you do.
S5 (20:30):
Absolutely. So more, um, I guess intense exercise. Um, lots
of stopping and starting things like that. That's putting a
lot more pressure on the joints or running on a
particularly on flat surfaces like concrete. Um, is putting much
more force through the joints than, say, slower gentle walking
or hydrotherapy where you're not you're not putting as much
force through the joints at all, so they can generally
(20:52):
exacerbate it. Um, cold weather also will exacerbate the signs
of arthritis, which is similar to humans. The barometric pressure
changes with the cold weather, and that changes, uh, I
guess the pressure on the joints, um, which means they
can expand a bit more, and then as they expand
a bit more, they can become sorer. Um, so we
see worsening signs in often in winter. Um, and I
(21:16):
guess in terms of avoiding it becoming worse, we're avoiding
things that might, you know, increase it, um, playing up.
So we're avoiding activities where it might be exacerbated. So, like,
we avoid rough play, we avoid intense exercise off the
lead and things like that.
S1 (21:35):
What about things like weight?
S5 (21:36):
Yes. So weight is a very big one. So I probably.
S1 (21:39):
Should body conditioning.
S5 (21:40):
Probably should have started with that. So essentially what we
want to do to um I guess reduce the signs
of or the clinical signs associated with arthritis is we
want to reduce the force being constantly put through the joint.
So by reducing the weight that the animal is carrying,
we're reducing extra loading on the joint, which slows down
the progression of arthritis and will reduce the pain associated
(22:04):
with putting loading through that joint. So keeping dogs in
a good body condition, um, at an appropriate weight, not
overweight and obviously not too skinny is, um, a really
big factor in ensuring that the progression is slowed and
that it's manageable.
S1 (22:18):
So if you've already noticed those symptoms, what are the
types of things that a vet may do to assist
management of the symptoms?
S5 (22:25):
Yeah. So that might prescribe a particular type of diet
or something that is um, can be added to the food.
As I was saying before, that helps with protecting the
existing cartilage, reducing the inflammation in the joint. Um, and
just aimed at weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Um,
that also might look at there's different types of injections
(22:46):
we can give. one is called calotrophon, which, um, is
an injection that we usually give off as a course
of four injections over four weeks. So once a week initially,
and then we continue on once every 1 to 3
months for maintenance. This injection has a lot of ingredients that, um,
one increase the joint fluid production in the joint. So
increasing the lubrication of the joint and then two also increases, um,
(23:10):
the protection of the cartilage that still existing in the joint. Um,
so that can be added in from a really early age.
And it's been found to be quite beneficial because it
does slow the progression of arthritis to some extent. Um,
a new one that's just come out that we can
also add in is an injection called Branza, which is
similar to that used in humans. Um, so it's a
(23:31):
monoclonal antibody that blocks the neuropathic pain pathway. So this
one doesn't necessarily slow the progression of arthritis like the
Pentosan will, but it will stop the animal from recognising
the pain associated with it. Um, so it has, um,
had really good reports in terms of bringing return to comfort, um,
(23:51):
in a lot of animals. However, it's usually added in
at the very sort of end of stages because it's
not actually going to slow the progression of the arthritis.
It's just going to help with managing the pain. Um,
other things we also add in are sort of either
some medications that we can give daily. So something like um,
something similar to a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory can be used. Um,
(24:15):
obviously these need to be weighed up with cost versus um,
risk type benefit thing. Um, so we're looking at whether
it's worth using it every day at that stage. But
because obviously all these medications can have some side effects
as well. But these medications are generally targeted at the pain,
not at like slowing the progression of the arthritis. Um,
(24:38):
and then things like um, referring on to hydrotherapy and
physiotherapy type clinics as well, which sort of look at
keeping the dog active without putting through too much force
through the joints.
S1 (24:53):
So I guess the kind of the main thing really
will be then going to your vet and working out
what approach works best for you and your dog?
S5 (25:00):
Absolutely, because it will always be a multi-modal approach. That'll
never be just one way that we target it. And
we'll be looking at probably a combination of things and
what your dog tolerates best and what works best for
you and that sort of thing as well.
S1 (25:21):
You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dog show on
Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interviews and
the clip from Michaela talking about New South Wales Road show.
Don't forget to head to our website for more information
on that or email clients at. Our interview with Phil Taylor.
(25:41):
Seeing Eye dogs puppy carer talking about his volunteer to
your story. And with Doctor Jacinta Millard from our senior
expert team talking about arthritis. Lots of good tips from
our team across the show. So if you are looking
for more information about dog care, you can head to
our Omni Seeing Eye Dog Show page or your preferred
podcast provider for more interviews from our lovely vet team
(26:05):
and our staff. If you'd like to find out more
about puppy caring, don't forget that that next information session
is coming up online for all states, Victoria and New
South Wales and Queensland on Tuesday, February 18th from 6 p.m.
to 7 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time or 5 to
6 p.m. in Australian Eastern Standard Time, which is Queensland.
(26:25):
So not on daylight savings. Uh, thank you for listening
to the show. Don't forget to tune in same time
next week for another episode, or head to our social
media to keep up to date with all of the
latest happenings. Thank you for listening and have a lovely week.
You're listening to the Seeing Eye Dog show on Vision
Australia Radio. With me, your host, Harriet Moffatt. Today I'm
going to play three segments for you. First instructor Mikaela
Smith is joining us to share an exciting announcement about
the 2025 New South Wales Seeing Eye Dogs Roadshow in
regional New South Wales and Canberra in March. This event
(00:31):
will give current and potential handlers a chance to find
out about Dog Guide Mobility becoming a handler with us,
and also they'll get the chance to meet the team
and some dogs and potentially go for a trial walk
as well. Then I've got an interview with Phil Taylor,
Puppy care at Seeing Eye Dogs. Phil is in his
80s and has been a puppy carer for 14 years,
showing many puppies the ropes through a busy and active retirement.
(00:55):
Then to round up the show, I have a clip
and some vet tips from Doctor Jacinta Millard from our
dog's vet team talking about arthritis in dogs. I hope
you enjoy the show. Now let's kick off with our
first clip of the day with Michaela Smith.
S2 (01:17):
Hi there, I'm Michaela. I'm one of the instructors based
in New South Wales. I'm really excited to share that
the Seeing Eye Dogs Road show is going to be
heading around the regional areas of New South Wales this
coming March. After the success of this road show in
Sydney back in November 2024. At the road show, there'll
(01:38):
be the opportunity to talk to the two New South
Wales based instructors to have a chat about seeing eye
dog mobility, what it involves, what the differences are between
having a seeing eye dog, using a long cane, or
potentially currently using no mobility aid. Um, there'll also be
some wonderful seeing eye dogs there that you can meet
to cuddle, of course. Um, but also to have the
(01:59):
opportunity to take for a trial walk. So that will
involve doing a small walk around the local area, um,
to feel what it feels like to actually be guided
by a dog guide. The road show is open to
current handlers that are looking for support or guidance. Um,
anyone that's interested in finding out more about seeing eye
(02:21):
dogs as a mobility aid and also friends, families and
support workers of those who are blind or have low
vision that might be interested in using a seeing eye
dog now or in the future. After attending the roadshow,
there is absolutely no pressure to then apply for a
seeing eye dog. It's simply just an opportunity to explore
that form of mobility aid. Of course, if you are
(02:42):
interested in applying, then the instructors there on the day
will be able to go through the process with you
and support you through the process of applying to be
a seeing eye dog handler. We've got seven locations for
the roadshow coming up in March. Uh, it'll be Monday,
March the 10th in Port Macquarie. Tuesday, March 11th, in
Coffs Harbour. Wednesday 12th of March in Tweed Heads. Tuesday
(03:07):
the 18th of March in Canberra. Wednesday the 19th of
March in Wollongong. Monday the 24th of March in Gosford.
And Tuesday the 25th of March in Newcastle. All of
the sessions begin at 10:30 a.m. and will run until
approximately 130 in the afternoon, and there will be refreshments
(03:28):
provided as well. If anyone's interested in attending, you can
register via the website or you can email clients at
Vision Australia. So please do register and we hope to
see you there.
S1 (03:45):
If you'd like to find out more about the New
South Wales Roadshow, you can, as Michaela said, email clients
at Vision Australia or head to our website at. Now
I'm going to be joined by Phil Taylor, who is
going to chat to us about his life and his
story as a volunteer. I hope you enjoy. Hi Phil,
(04:06):
thank you for joining me on the show today. I'd
love to start off if you could please introduce yourself.
S3 (04:11):
Okay. My name is Phil Taylor. I am the youngest
of nine boys born in Perth, Western Australia, 88 years ago.
I have four children, 13 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
S1 (04:32):
Wow. That's a lot of a lot of family. And
the ninth boy in your family?
S3 (04:37):
Yes. And then there was a girl.
S4 (04:41):
So what is your role as a volunteer with seeing
eye dogs?
S3 (04:45):
Puppy care.
S4 (04:46):
And how long have you been puppy caring for? And
how many puppies have you cared for in your time?
S3 (04:52):
I've had. I've been 14 years with seeing eye dogs
and I've had 18 puppies. Uh, and then five for
very short periods, relieving other people. Yeah. Weekend or three weeks. Uh, yeah,
but I've enjoyed every one of them. I imagine you've
(05:15):
got a couple.
S1 (05:16):
Except for a couple. That's reasonable. I think sometimes you
get on with some better than others, and I'm assuming
really very much. You found no two are the same.
S3 (05:25):
No, no, no, you have to sit down with them
and and observe them and get to know them. Because
like human beings, the docs vary so much in temperament
and and the things that you can teach them, some
of them you can't teach a couple. Very, very difficult
(05:45):
to try and teach.
S1 (05:46):
They've probably not wanted to learn. Thinking back to, I
guess 14 years ago, do you remember why you decided
to start volunteering?
S3 (05:57):
Yes. We got we decided we'd have a puppy for
the children's sake. Uh. Um, from then onwards, will always
have a dog in the house. And when my wife
had to go into care, the dog I had had
to be put down because it had medical complaints. And
(06:21):
I just wondered what I was going to do. And
then I saw the advertisement for seeing my dogs, and
I thought, oh, this would be terrific. Um, I'd have
wouldn't have to bother about the dog getting old. I
could have, um, puppies all the time. So that's why
I decided to contact seeing eye dogs.
S1 (06:44):
And, um. And now you've very much made made up
the time, you know, that's like eight, 18, uh, 18
puppies is very much a good cycle of different dogs.
And you don't have to watch any of them grow old,
which is quite nice in some ways.
S3 (06:57):
Right. I just look forward to having another little puppy
to train. I've loved every minute. Loved every minute of training.
And I find it so challenging. Um, yeah.
S1 (07:11):
Challenging, but in a positive way.
S3 (07:14):
Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Want to know what my puppy is?
Current puppy is Linda. She is due to go in soon.
I don't know what they can't. They've got to make
up their mind what they're going to happen to her.
She's either going into breeding or going into training or
(07:36):
the other. I'd like her to go into training, because
I've had quite a few puppies that have gone into
breeding and they they're changed. Have one go into the training. And, um.
Ringo is the daughter of quiver. The Best, as I'm concerned,
(08:01):
the best puppy that I ever had. She was so
eager to learn and so gentle and quiet. It was
just perfection as far as I was concerned. When they
said that, um, we just had a litter of puppies
and I was due to get a new one, I
(08:22):
asked if I could have one of those. They gave
me lingo.
S1 (08:27):
And how have you found lingo? I guess with the
idea of, you know who Hoover was?
S3 (08:34):
Well, my last post, I've been comparing them.
S1 (08:38):
Yeah.
S3 (08:39):
But lingo. Very good. Extremely good. She's quiet and loving
and obedient. And then they she. Hasn't quite come up
to the standard.
S1 (08:55):
That quiver has probably got a bit of a of
a legacy in your mind, and it's very hard to
come out of her shadow, but I'm sure lingo is
going to try her very best.
S3 (09:05):
Yeah, yeah. All she does is she's very good at
what she does.
S1 (09:12):
So what is the typical day in the life of
you and lingo or potentially, you know, what do you
get up to in some of your weeks together?
S3 (09:20):
Well, it varies during the week. On a Monday and Tuesday,
I'll go and play table tennis in Mornington at a
large club there, and the ones I play with are
all over 40. I called, they called the Teenagers, um,
(09:44):
because they came. We have fun. We don't take it
too seriously. All the puppies, except for a couple, have
just laid down next to the court while I'm playing,
or table while I'm Fun playing and just watch. Watch
what's going on. So they've all been extremely good. Just
(10:05):
being quiet and just observing atmosphere and things like that. Well,
each day I get up at about 8:00, take the
puppies out the toilet, um, and give them their breakfast.
And then we do what we have to do on
a Wednesday. We go out for a nice long walk
(10:28):
and come home, have a bit of fun in the garden.
The rest of the day we just work in the
garden or do other jobs around the house. And the
puppies usually follow me around and observe what I'm doing.
And then on a Thursday, I bring in a large
choir or youth choir. People who are retired at the
(10:53):
moment was about 80 people in the choir. More practice,
or about 2.5 hours each Thursday when we come home
and I do whatever jobs are necessary. So on weekends
(11:13):
I usually get up and go for a walk and
then do what we have to do. And I usually
my son comes and visits me and he's got a
little dog, and we go out for a walk on
Sunday morning together. And that's that's about the what I do,
(11:36):
except for going shopping, you know. So very good walking
along beside the trolley. And I'm doing my shopping. Never,
never trying to go and say hello to anyone. She
just stays by myself. So she's very good in that way.
S1 (11:57):
It sounds like you've got a very busy life with
quite a lot of extracurriculars too. It sounds like she's
got a lot of different things that she accompanies you to.
S3 (12:06):
Yeah, there's a lot of stimulus for her or any
of the puppies to keep fit. I think they enjoy
going around with me. Of course, we have training sessions
every month where Claire organizes, um, go to different places
(12:27):
with other dogs.
S1 (12:29):
So what do you find the most rewarding or enjoyable
about caring?
S3 (12:35):
Oh, the training challenge is the most enjoyable. Each dog
has its own challenges to bring up, and I have
to find some way of teaching them and overcoming those challenges. And.
Of course, that's the company I'm. I raised by myself
(13:01):
and mine are having a dog is a terrific company owner.
S1 (13:07):
And when it comes to, I guess, those challenges, what
do you find the most challenging about puppy caring?
S3 (13:15):
Um, I suppose the most challenging part is teaching them
to walk. Quite a lot of them put the lead
on them and take them out the front. They don't
want to go anywhere. I've had to find means and
ways of getting them to walk. So which quite a
(13:38):
few of them. I pick them up and walk about 200m,
put them down and let them go and they usually
head right hand. So that's one way of getting them
to And another trick that Tim taught me was to
(13:59):
try a soft toy on the end of the stick
and walk along with that in front of them. But
that's been the biggest challenge, just getting them started. The
bear walking.
S1 (14:12):
Is that kind of for your eight week old puppy?
S3 (14:14):
Yeah, with the eight week old puppy. Just need that
little bit of encouragement.
S1 (14:20):
I guess that's one of those things that requires quite
a lot of patience in those early days. But I'm
assuming that kind of you've got it nailed pretty quickly
after that.
S3 (14:30):
You have to be extremely patient. You can't lose your
temper with them that certain, very patient, and let them
learn at their own pace. Some learn very quickly. Others
it takes a little time. It's all very challenging and
heartwarming to see them grow.
S1 (14:51):
Like you said, if the challenge is one of the
things that you like the best about it, the fact
that it is difficult, kind of adds to the fun
of working them all out.
S3 (14:58):
Yeah. More challenge, the better. Yeah. So you only have
to look at the statistics of the reading and that
small percentage of the puppies that ever get through to
become seeing eye dogs. I feel I'm doing a little
(15:19):
bit towards that challenge.
S1 (15:22):
Yeah, definitely. Without carers you wouldn't have the program that
you would. You wouldn't have dogs that know how to
live in homes.
S3 (15:30):
Yeah. Yeah.
S1 (15:32):
Well, I'd like to just ask if you're happy to
finish off, if you have any messages to share with
anyone considering volunteering or caring.
S3 (15:42):
You have to remember that the dog is happy. That
you are given is not a pet. That's how you
have to treat them. Um, I think can't be too
familiar with the dog. I can be very, very happy
to see you. And you can treat them as a
(16:04):
working dog, not allowing them to get up on the
furniture and making sure that they go to sleep in
their cage. I think they thrive on discipline and routines
that thrive on routine.
S1 (16:22):
Well, thank you so much for all of the work
that you've done and for coming on the show, sharing
your story.
S3 (16:28):
Oh my pleasure. I've enjoyed the last 14 years trying
to train the dog up to the standard that was
required for them to become adults.
S1 (16:48):
You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dog show on
Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interview with Phil.
We are looking for puppy carers across parts of Victoria,
New South Wales and Queensland regions that are listed on
our website. If you'd like to find out more about
puppy care, and you can head to that website at npr.org.
Or you can attend an upcoming information session on one
(17:10):
is online for all States, which is on Tuesday, February
18th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight
Time or 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time.
So don't forget to head to that website, or you
can head to our socials at on Facebook or Australia
(17:31):
on Instagram to find out more information and keep up
with the upcoming events where you can come and meet
our puppies. To finish off this episode now, I'm going
to be playing an interview with Doctor Jacinta Millard from
our Senior Dogs vet team talking about arthritis in dogs.
Thank you for listening. Hi, Jacinta, thank you for joining
me on the show today.
S5 (17:50):
Thank you for having me, Harriet.
S1 (17:53):
So we're just gonna start off talking a bit about, um,
arthritis in dogs and kind of how to manage it
and what that looks like. So just to start off
with what is arthritis in dogs?
S5 (18:03):
Okay, so arthritis in dogs is pretty similar to arthritis
in humans. It's degenerative joint disease where um, the joint itself,
any joint in the dog, um, I guess wears away
at the cartilage on the edges and we get some
bone deposition and bone growth, which can increase the pain
in the joint, um, slowing them down and making them uncomfortable.
S1 (18:23):
So as far as kind of symptoms or what that
looks like, what are the symptoms of a dog having arthritis?
S5 (18:29):
Yeah. So commonly people will come in and say that
their dogs are slowing down. They notice that they're a
bit slower on their walks, or they're reluctant to walk
or reluctant to run and do activities that they've normally, um,
done quite frequently. They might play less, they might be
just slowing down. In general, a lot of the time
we notice that dogs with arthritis will be slow getting
up from their from their bed and slow getting down
(18:51):
again when they're laying down. Um, and yeah, generally just
a slowing the slowing down of activity and that sort
of thing.
S1 (18:59):
So I think a lot of the time we kind
of um, what's the word kind of arthritis to kind
of age is, is arthritis only in older dogs.
S5 (19:09):
No. We can get arthritis in young dogs as well.
Any disruption to the joint? Um, say they've had surgery
in the joint or anything like that can increase the
chance of arthritis forming in that joint. Um, because it's
altering the mechanics of how force is being applied through
the joint. And that alters the structure of the joint. Um, yeah.
So it's not just old dogs, though. It's more commonly
(19:29):
seen in older dogs.
S1 (19:31):
Is arthritis progressive? Um, and is there anything that can
be done to avoid it becoming worse?
S5 (19:37):
Yeah. So arthritis is progressive. We have multiple treatments available
at the moment which slow the progression, but nothing actually
can stop the progression of arthritis similar to that in
that in humans. Um, so there's a few things we
have up our sleeves, a lot of nutraceuticals and things
that we can add to their food. So it's not
necessarily a drug, but it's like a supplement that we
(19:59):
add into their diet. Something like fish oil with omega
three and omega six has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties
on the joint. Um, so it can reduce the inflammation
which is causing the pain associated with the arthritis. Um,
we also have ingredients that we can put in as
supplements that increase joint fluid production and protect the cartilage
(20:19):
that's still existing in the joint.
S1 (20:22):
So are there any other factors that would make the
symptoms worse? Um, for a dog, even things like, say,
kind of weather, other conditions and like, say, the types
of exercise that you do.
S5 (20:30):
Absolutely. So more, um, I guess intense exercise. Um, lots
of stopping and starting things like that. That's putting a
lot more pressure on the joints or running on a
particularly on flat surfaces like concrete. Um, is putting much
more force through the joints than, say, slower gentle walking
or hydrotherapy where you're not you're not putting as much
force through the joints at all, so they can generally
(20:52):
exacerbate it. Um, cold weather also will exacerbate the signs
of arthritis, which is similar to humans. The barometric pressure
changes with the cold weather, and that changes, uh, I
guess the pressure on the joints, um, which means they
can expand a bit more, and then as they expand
a bit more, they can become sorer. Um, so we
see worsening signs in often in winter. Um, and I
(21:16):
guess in terms of avoiding it becoming worse, we're avoiding
things that might, you know, increase it, um, playing up.
So we're avoiding activities where it might be exacerbated. So, like,
we avoid rough play, we avoid intense exercise off the
lead and things like that.
S1 (21:35):
What about things like weight?
S5 (21:36):
Yes. So weight is a very big one. So I probably.
S1 (21:39):
Should body conditioning.
S5 (21:40):
Probably should have started with that. So essentially what we
want to do to um I guess reduce the signs
of or the clinical signs associated with arthritis is we
want to reduce the force being constantly put through the joint.
So by reducing the weight that the animal is carrying,
we're reducing extra loading on the joint, which slows down
the progression of arthritis and will reduce the pain associated
(22:04):
with putting loading through that joint. So keeping dogs in
a good body condition, um, at an appropriate weight, not
overweight and obviously not too skinny is, um, a really
big factor in ensuring that the progression is slowed and
that it's manageable.
S1 (22:18):
So if you've already noticed those symptoms, what are the
types of things that a vet may do to assist
management of the symptoms?
S5 (22:25):
Yeah. So that might prescribe a particular type of diet
or something that is um, can be added to the food.
As I was saying before, that helps with protecting the
existing cartilage, reducing the inflammation in the joint. Um, and
just aimed at weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Um,
that also might look at there's different types of injections
(22:46):
we can give. one is called calotrophon, which, um, is
an injection that we usually give off as a course
of four injections over four weeks. So once a week initially,
and then we continue on once every 1 to 3
months for maintenance. This injection has a lot of ingredients that, um,
one increase the joint fluid production in the joint. So
increasing the lubrication of the joint and then two also increases, um,
(23:10):
the protection of the cartilage that still existing in the joint. Um,
so that can be added in from a really early age.
And it's been found to be quite beneficial because it
does slow the progression of arthritis to some extent. Um,
a new one that's just come out that we can
also add in is an injection called Branza, which is
similar to that used in humans. Um, so it's a
(23:31):
monoclonal antibody that blocks the neuropathic pain pathway. So this
one doesn't necessarily slow the progression of arthritis like the
Pentosan will, but it will stop the animal from recognising
the pain associated with it. Um, so it has, um,
had really good reports in terms of bringing return to comfort, um,
(23:51):
in a lot of animals. However, it's usually added in
at the very sort of end of stages because it's
not actually going to slow the progression of the arthritis.
It's just going to help with managing the pain. Um,
other things we also add in are sort of either
some medications that we can give daily. So something like um,
something similar to a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory can be used. Um,
(24:15):
obviously these need to be weighed up with cost versus um,
risk type benefit thing. Um, so we're looking at whether
it's worth using it every day at that stage. But
because obviously all these medications can have some side effects
as well. But these medications are generally targeted at the pain,
not at like slowing the progression of the arthritis. Um,
(24:38):
and then things like um, referring on to hydrotherapy and
physiotherapy type clinics as well, which sort of look at
keeping the dog active without putting through too much force
through the joints.
S1 (24:53):
So I guess the kind of the main thing really
will be then going to your vet and working out
what approach works best for you and your dog?
S5 (25:00):
Absolutely, because it will always be a multi-modal approach. That'll
never be just one way that we target it. And
we'll be looking at probably a combination of things and
what your dog tolerates best and what works best for
you and that sort of thing as well.
S1 (25:21):
You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dog show on
Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interviews and
the clip from Michaela talking about New South Wales Road show.
Don't forget to head to our website for more information
on that or email clients at. Our interview with Phil Taylor.
(25:41):
Seeing Eye dogs puppy carer talking about his volunteer to
your story. And with Doctor Jacinta Millard from our senior
expert team talking about arthritis. Lots of good tips from
our team across the show. So if you are looking
for more information about dog care, you can head to
our Omni Seeing Eye Dog Show page or your preferred
podcast provider for more interviews from our lovely vet team
(26:05):
and our staff. If you'd like to find out more
about puppy caring, don't forget that that next information session
is coming up online for all states, Victoria and New
South Wales and Queensland on Tuesday, February 18th from 6 p.m.
to 7 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time or 5 to
6 p.m. in Australian Eastern Standard Time, which is Queensland.
(26:25):
So not on daylight savings. Uh, thank you for listening
to the show. Don't forget to tune in same time
next week for another episode, or head to our social
media to keep up to date with all of the
latest happenings. Thank you for listening and have a lovely week.
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