Seeing Eye Dogs Australia holiday program

Seeing Eye Dogs Australia holiday program

Seeing Eye Dogs Australia is running a school holiday program at their National Puppy Centre in Kensington.  Not only will children (and parents) be treated to some behind the scenes action and lots of puppy playtime but you will have the opportunity to learn about the amazing work SEDA does changing lives.

When: Monday 29 June, Thursday 2 July, Friday 3 July, Monday 6 July, Wednesday 8 July and Friday 10 July, from 10am – 12pm  {quick places are filling fast}

Where: 17 Barrett Street KENSINGTON (there is some parking onsite as well as free parking in the street)

Cost: $40 per child (please note parental supervision is required).  To book call 1800 037 773, no walk-ins on the day

Charlie (7), Immi (9) and I went along for a bit of a behind the scenes preview of this totally adorable holiday program.  This is the third time SEDA have offered this program and it’s grown in size and reputation – and from what we saw and heard I can totally understand why!  The toughest part is leaving without a puppy… or in Charlie’s case just leaving at all.

The tiny puppies are naturally insanely cute – but a note of warning, they are kept behind glass as they are under quarantine until they have had all their immunisations.  But even through the glass they jumped, rolled, chewed and leapt about giving us much amusement.  And technically all the dogs until they are about 18 months old are referred to as puppies – so with this in mind you will actually get to meet, pat and cuddle quite a number of pups and a few older dogs during your session (just not the tiny tiny ones).

What can you expect?  Well when you first arrive there is a bit of an introduction in the auditorium (which a bit of a fancy word as it’s really just a room).  From there everyone moves into the older part of the building where the dog training happens – you can actually (if you want to) experience what it’s like to be blind using a cane and a blindfold to navigate an obstacle course.  There is a pretty cool demonstration from one of the more talented graduates of the Puppy School and then a sneak peek into the kennels and new facilities before heading to see the littlest puppies.  Back in the auditorium there is cooking class where children will get to bake dog biscuits to take home to their dogs (or they can leave them for the puppies).

This is a lovely program that gives families a wonderful insight into the work done at SEDA in a fun and hands on way – but also an appreciation for the very important job the graduates of SEDA have when they finish.  The $40 fee goes directly to supporting the Seeing Eye Dogs – providing the gift of independence for someone who is blind or low vision.