Deuce, a black Lab, is the second puppy Tony and Trudie Kuka have raised for the Leader Dogs for the Blind program.
As members of the Ooltewah-Collegedale Lions Club, the Kukas share the Lions’ mission to provide vision for all, Trudie Kuka said.
“I thought it sounded like a really worthwhile commitment,” she said.
The Kukas heard about the puppy- raisers program at a local Lions barbecue and it seemed tailor-made for the couple. Tony Kuka hunts ducks, geese and pheasant with the family’s own three retrievers.
Leader Dogs puppies live with host families for one year to learn basic obedience and to socialize in busy parks and get used to downtown traffic.
The Kukas took their first Leader Dog puppy, Rusty, to Leader Dogs headquarters in Michigan last summer for five months of formal training – more in-depth work guiding a blind partner over, around and through obstacles.
They returned in December to meet Leader Dogs client Jordi, Rusty’s new partner who he would guide through the streets of Barcelona, Spain. Jordi’s one-and-a-half-hour commute would be good exercise for Rusty, a high-energy dog, Trudie Kuka said.
“He’s an international traveler,” she said. She and her husband were happy that Rusty remembered them after six months. “He recognized us immediately. It was really an amazing feeling.”
The Kukas now exchange stories with Jordi and his wife, Ilda, who Rusty reportedly adores, and the couples may visit each other in the future.
Deuce is 8 months old now and the Kukas are preparing to take him to Michigan this summer, too.
“It’s just an organization we’re excited to be working with and we’ll continue to raise puppies with them,” Trudie Kuka said.
Leader Dogs, though a separate organization, was founded by Lions and is sponsored by Lions clubs around the country. For more information visit www.leaderdog.org.