Zorka’s three-week-old puppies have started to get acquainted with the outside world. Their caregiver took them out one by one among the blooming flowers in the garden, placing them down for a moment to enjoy the new environment, scents, and sounds.

All five puppies opened their eyes and ears; it would be a shame to waste the valuable minutes they can spend in the garden. “I gently picked up each puppy and we looked at the blooming snowdrops and winter aconites. There are many advantages to gradually getting them used to outdoor life, meaning we are moving them out of their comfort zone. A little ‘heat shock’ is good for their bodies, and the multitude of stimuli stimulates the development of their nervous systems. These puppies will learn to navigate sooner, their range of movement will increase, which they will gradually utilize, and they will become familiar with grassy, earthy, and concrete terrains. All of this contributes to the fact that the puppies raised in our foundation will be more developed by the time they are 8-9 weeks old compared to most of their peers, who sometimes live in just a couple of square meters indoors during this period,” said Gizella Ménesi, our foundation’s puppy raiser.

Excellent for team building

Gizella also considers the socialization benefits important, as the puppies always move together in the garden, getting tired at the same time during their adventures, and then taking a good nap in their outdoor house, which they warm up in a pile. Meanwhile, they also learn not to do their business in their sleeping area.

Of course, we are not rushing anything; the key is to acclimate them to the natural environment while paying attention to the weather and everything else.

Dog communication training has begun

“I witnessed an interesting event the other day. The mother dog ends her day every evening with a chew stick, which she devours in moments, but this time she did something different; she simply placed it in front of her and waited. One of the puppies crawled over to investigate, but at that moment, Zorka lifted her lip and softly growled at me. The little one was surprised by this, stopped, and tried to sit down, causing it to tip over and fall on its back. This funny scene shows that the mother has started teaching ‘dog communication’ to the puppies,” Gizella shared.

One of the puppies wants to reach as high as possible:

Please support the training of guide dogs with 1% of your tax! Our tax number is: 18449149–1–05.

How much does a guide dog cost?

In Hungary, there is a growing need for guide dogs. Many people are waiting for a loyal companion at our foundation. On our waiting list, there are usually 30-40 people. Currently, 12 dogs are undergoing training, and if everything goes according to plan, 30 puppies will be born at our foundation this year, from which guide dogs will be trained next year.

The total cost of a guide dog throughout its entire life exceeds 5 million Forints

This period lasts approximately 10 years, and the total costs include: breeding dogs, breeding, puppy raising, screenings, medical expenses, care, equipment, training (with a service fee of 1.5 million forints), owner training; transfer, testing, follow-up, and care for ten years, equipment replacement, additional medical costs for aging dogs, retirement-related expenses, as well as overhead costs, vehicle use, etc.

This is how the total cost over ten years exceeds 5 million forints.

Our foundation raises the necessary funds for training through 1% tax donations and contributions.

Hide and seek has begun in the garden:

There is more good news!

Starting today, you can donate 1% of your tax to the training of guide dogs through the NAV online platform by logging into your client portal here. 

Another good news! If you provide your mailing address, we will send you our guide dog calendar for next year in the thank-you letter!

Our tax number for the 1% donation is: 18449149-1-05

Please support the training of guide dogs with 1% of your tax!

You can read more about our 1% tax information here.

We last wrote about Zorka’s puppies here.

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