Volunteers raise future guide dogs
By Connie Midey © The Arizona Republic, Phoenix — Raising a puppy properly requires substantial time, energy and heart – raising one to assist a blind person even more so. Yet Sandi Alsworth has opened her home and her arms to 23 of the little guys, usually when they’re 8 to 10 weeks old, and a year or so after their arrival she has had to say goodbye to each. The latest canine resident of her Mesa home is Fodi, a yellow Labrador retriever. Sometime after his first birthday, he’ll travel to Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, Calif., for advanced training before being placed with a person whose vision is impaired. And Alsworth will miss him, just as she has the other adoptive members of her household before Fodi…. READ ARTICLE