Zorka’s First Puppies Were Born

The three female and two male puppies born on January 15th are healthy, along with their mother. The birth process began with difficulty, as the first puppy was breech and also had a higher-than-average weight, more than half a kilogram.

We waited four hours for her arrival, but luckily her siblings followed quickly and easily.

– says Gizella Ménesi, Zorka’s handler.

Zorka knew everything at once!

Zorka happily carried her pregnancy and was healthy throughout. She gained a total of five kilos, which is perfectly fine when divided among five puppies – a half-kilo puppy means an extra kilo. We were relieved to see that she immediately began caring for her newborns, diligently cleaning and feeding them. The only reason for some concern was that, as a first-time mother, she wasn’t surprised by what happened to her, which sometimes happens. Of course, we don’t despair; we just help quickly when needed.

Gizella is experienced and was present at all of Zina’s births, whom she also handled. The already retired mother dog usually gave birth to smaller puppies, and raised them outdoors. For the first time, Zorka had larger puppies, weighing almost half a kilo on average.

We asked Gizella how she sees her two mother dogs:

Both are dynamic, but they have different personalities. Zina is dynamic and kind, but not as much as Zorka, who is particularly affectionate. However, Zorka is the dominant one in the pack. Even my own dog, a three-year-old Rottweiler, gives up her place on guard duty when Zorka looks at her – that look makes it clear to everyone who is in charge.

Their future owners are looking forward to meeting them

Gizella is pleased with the five puppies: “The more, the better, because we can place more dogs with trainers in a year.” Currently, 30-40 people with visual impairments are on the waiting list for our Foundation, hoping to receive a faithful companion. So, the arrival of the puppies is great news for us too.

Over the next eight weeks, we will keep you updated on the puppies’ development. For the latest news, be sure to follow our Facebook page and YouTube channel.

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.