00:11 S1
On Vision Australia Radio, you're listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show - with me, your host, Harriet Moffat. On this interview, I'm joined by puppy development manager Jane Bradley. In our first interview of the year together, Jane shares some reflections on the transitions that dog owners, handlers and carers face at the end of the journey that we have with each dog, whether that be your pet guide or a puppy in training.
We also talk about International Guide Dog Federation or IGDF, the work that they do in developing members worldwide, and seeing [?] role in that and the collaborative nature of our industry, which is striving to improve client and dog outcomes with continuous improvement in an ever changing world. We also talk about the 2025 International Guide Dog Federation Conference coming up in June of 2025. You can find out more about IGF at igdf.org.uk ...
And now I hope you enjoy this interview. Hi Jane, thanks for joining me on the show today.
01:19 S2
Good morning Harriet. Good to chat with you again. Yeah. Happy New Year to you.
01:23 S1
Happy new year. Could you please start off by introducing yourself?
01:27 S2
Yeah, sure... so my name is Jane Bradley... I work for Vision Australia and currently working in the puppy development and customer service area.
01:37 S1
I'm going to talk a little bit about IGDF later. Could you tell us a bit about what your role is at IGDF?
01:43 S2
Yes of course. Yeah. I currently chair the development committee for International Guide Dog Federation, and that committee is responsible for... professional standard setting for dog guide organisations helping new and emerging applicant organisations to work through the standards Its procedure and get them ready for accreditation and their first assessment.
02:10 S1
Well, we will hear a bit more about the IGDF later. It sounds like you've got quite a lot on your plate.
02:18 S2
Well, there is that saying: If you find a job you love, you never work a day in your life. And I would certainly say that applies to me.
02:27 S1
So I think the last time we spoke was last year. So we're kind of, I guess kicking, kicking off 2025. What's happened in the last, you know, year? Are there any updates or thoughts that you'd like to share?
02:40 S2
Yeah... well, I guess the most recent one, Vision Australia, graduated a record number of people with their new dog guide, which is absolutely fantastic. And we managed to reduce the waiting time for a new dog to approximately 12 weeks, which is pretty amazing. So yeah, pretty... amazing. So what that means is people who are waiting for a successor dog, or even people who are new to us were able to come in and receive their services pretty quickly. So the team have done absolutely amazing work with that. And yeah, it just... means that everything's running a lot smoother for our clients, which is what we're all about.... yeah.
So that that was one of our major, major achievements, I think... in addition to some of the fundraising activity that we did - the Petbarn campaign, I think smashed huge number, yeah. So lots of big pieces of work that we did. I guess just from my perspective, I did write a LinkedIn post before Christmas. I had a bit of a transition myself. I... lost my pet dog, Reggie, who's been with me for 17 years, and in that time he's seen, gosh, he's been the decoy dog for so many dog training sessions. He's appeared in multiple test databases.
03:57 S1
He's really been a model.
03:59 S2
He. Yeah, he's... really contributed to the to the work in many ways, which is not bad for a little rescue dog from the animal shelter. But I guess... the reason I'm bringing this up is, it's just that transition time is one year ends and another year starts. And this, this chapter in my life where, you know, one dog has, has died sadly and welcoming a new dog into into my life, which is another rescue dog called Moose. And as that happens, I just really made me think about all the transitions.
You know, our clients working with the dog that may be due for retirement, and all the trepidation and worry that comes with a new dog and will. I love the new dog the same? And will this dog be as good as my last dog? Because I'm sort of thinking no dog can ever be as good as Reggie. Reggie was the best dog ever... and it also has really made me think, because this this dog I've got... he's a... young dog. He's only 12 months old. And it just has really made me think, Hats off to all our volunteer people raising puppies out there for us, doing amazing work.
Because I'd completely forgotten about all the puppy biting and biting your ankles and, you know, chomping of your hand and... grabbing the leash. It's all these... puppy things that puppies like to do. So I just want to say a massive thank you to everybody out there, who's housing a dog for our program and raising these wonderful dogs for clients.
05:30 S1
I just wanted to say Reggie will really be missed by all of us. And sorry for your loss.
05:34 S2
Oh. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it's part of part of life, I suppose, isn't it, when we love our animals. So, yeah.
05:41 S1
I do know a few volunteer carers that... have said they... do like the fact that they only have the young dog. They don't have to deal with the end, which, I guess is a is a very interesting perspective on it, but makes sense because if you are dealing with a puppy stage, you know, you maybe don't get the lovely senior years, which... are definitely to be cherished. But the goodbye is a very interesting one. But transitions at any point are inevitable, I guess you'd say?
06:04 S2
Yeah. Yeah. It is part of life, isn't it? Transitions and how we try and go through them gracefully. But they. Yeah, it's... it is a part of life. I remember... John Gosling - who's a real role model in our industry, many people will know him - he always used to say to me... Jane, there's a dog for every decade. So every time a client came back to us for a new dog, he would say, Oh, you know, there's... the right dog for every decade. And I always thought that was really good advice. So yeah, it's it's interesting.
So yeah, so I've currently got Moose and... he is a giant and ridiculous dog who doesn't know his own size. So he's really quite entertaining. He went to the office for the first time yesterday - because we're very fortunate at Vision Australia, providing our dogs are suitable temperament there's space in the office for training dogs and we obviously [do] all the right vaccinations, we can take our dogs in from time to time. So Moose went to our office yesterday for the first time and he thought it was fantastic. The bones, dog beds everywhere...
07:05 S1
Entertaining people.
07:07 S2
Yeah. Oh, he met all the team. He met Kim, who's one of our senior trainers. He met all the office staff... Monette, who many people will have spoken to on the phone... he just had the best day ever, I think.
07:22 S1
So, going back to a more seeing eye dog or guide dog industry. Want to talk a bit about the IGDF - So International Guide Dog Federation. Can you tell us a bit about the IGDF and what it is, what's the purpose?
07:35 S2
Yeah of course. So the International Guide Dog Federation or IGDF as we call it, it's a membership body and a professional standard setter for the dog guide organisations. And we've been operating since 1989. And we also provide support and services to our member programs. We are very invested in quality improvement and making sure that... our organisations receive support and services from more established organisations, and we collect information in in the format of an annual report every year from our organisations to track and analyse trends within the sector.
And we've currently got 99 member organisations who are accredited from 33 countries across the world. Yeah, it's a lot, and I'll just... on that as well, we're hoping that Guide Dogs Singapore, who is one of the organisations we've been helping for a long time, I've been working with them on development committee and we're hoping that they'll become the 100th accredited program, which would be really exciting because they're ready now for their accreditation and we've allocated an assessor. So we... big, you know, fingers crossed for Guide Dogs Singapore. So we're hoping they'll be our 100th... member program, which would be really exciting.
08:59 S1
And does that mean you guys at least you know, in IGDF have a little party or have some cake or something? Because I feel like you should celebrate that in a formal way, you know?
09:08 S2
Yeah, we will. We'll find a way to celebrate it. We'll have to eat virtual cake. I mean, if yeah, maybe... at the conference, which is something else I want to talk about later. But we will be getting together in person this year, so there'll definitely be a celebration on that. Yeah. It's good, yeah. So we're we're working with... I think we've just had a couple more, actually... we're working with about 20 applicant organisations from six countries. We've got 7 or 8. Eight. We got one through last night from Czechoslovakia. So eight inquiring organisations from another three countries and five affiliate organizations. And... just some fun facts for people who like them: there's 19,557 dogs currently working with their people... as of the 31st of December.
09:59 S1
Can you please repeat that figure just one time?
10:03 S2
Yeah. 19,557.
10:05 S1
Wow. And those are all, you know, guide dogs or seeing eye dogs from other organisations across the world.
10:11 S2
Oh, that's that's dogs working with their people. Yeah. Working with their clients. Yeah. Amazing. Yeah. And we've got about 794 qualified instructors, about 200 and 252 trainee instructors, 241 trainers and individual volunteers. We've got approximately 40,000 supporting programs across the world. So, again, you know, huge collaboration and a huge amount of giving that people do to to make sure that our wonderful dogs get the work and care that they need and that our clients can receive those quality services.
10:53 S1
I mean, it's amazing kind of that coming together part of your life and your work there. Sorry to interrupt you.
10:59 S2
Oh, no, I was just going to say, and if people are interested, just jump on the website, which is w's IGDF.org.uk. About us. And there's a lot of great information on there that people can see. You don't need to be a member to access a lot of that information. So yeah, go and have a look around. It's interesting.
11:18 S1
And so what is, like seeing eye dogs as kind of role in in helping other organisations.
11:25 S2
Well, we... at Vision Australia we're a big believer in collaboration. It's it's one of our organisational values. And we are a fairly established organisation. We're obviously the largest national services provider in Australia for people who are blind or have low vision. And our Seeing Eye Dog program has been established... for 60 years, 60 odd years. I think this year we'll be having our 65th anniversary, actually. So watch this space for some more celebrations there.
So when we... this is before my time, but when we were starting out, we were very fortunate to receive help and assistance from other member schools, Guide Dogs UK and other schools around Australia and around the world. And then we are a big believer in paying that back and paying it forward. So now it's our turn to really help those emerging schools. So some of the things we've done, and we've got an example at the moment is we have a... trainee instructor called Shaolin, and she's been staying with us for the past two years to do her traineeship with us at Vision Australia. And when she completes her training, she'll go back and go back to her... program, which is Guide Dog Singapore.
So what that means, is that Guide Dogs Singapore will have two qualified instructors to deliver services to the people of Singapore that need them. Guide Dogs Victoria actually trained the previous instructor, so they've got two instructors, Christina and Shaolin. And... there's also an orientation and mobility instructor there. So it's really just developing the education quality service provision that people need and where we can assist as a more established program. We absolutely will do that.
13:19 S1
It's very cool. And I guess... kind of important to note too, that, you know, whilst... she has been here working with us, she's also been, you know, training dogs that have been matched with our clients too. And, you know, so it's it's very much like, you know, a kind of collaborative effort too, in the fact that, yeah, those those dogs that she's... kind of worked with as part of her traineeship are also still, yeah, going on to do important stuff. So it's kind of cool. It's like learning on the job.
13:50 S2
Yeah, absolutely. And yeah, it is, you know, we are quite a niche industry in a way... there's less than a thousand instructors in the world. And so, yes, definitely part of the learning we can do online... but part of it is just getting stuck in and doing the job. And, as you say, doing that on the job training so where we can support and assist to grow that... group of instructors, we absolutely will do that.
14:18 S1
And for anyone who's not aware, an instructor is a person that works with both the train... both kind of training dogs and also, client services.
14:27 S2
That's that's right. Sorry. Harriet. Yeah, I should have mentioned that. Yeah. So our instructors, we are... it is a people job, people often will focus on... the dog because that's what they see as the mobility aid. But this is absolutely a people first job. So, our instructors are teaching people to orientate and navigate - either that's with the O&M orientation mobility services. And our Seeing Eye dog instructors will teach people to orientate and mobilise with the dog as the aide. So that's... what we do.
15:01 S1
So you mentioned earlier, there is a conference as well, for example, coming up - can you tell us a little bit about the conference?
15:06 S2
Yeah, absolutely. So let me just get the dates out for you. So we have I guess first of all, we've got International Guide Dog Day, which this year will be, will it be.... it's normally on the third Wednesday of every April. So I have to do a quick calendar check and work out when that is. And then we also have our, we have a conference every two years. And this year, Guide Dogs UK are hosting that and it will be at Warwick, which is a university town and campus. And the conference is open to all member programs, all applicant member programs. And it's really an opportunity for us to come together and meet and greets.
And there's so much that people can learn from each other during these conferences. A lot of... lifelong working friendships are formed at, a lot of the time at these conferences. It will feature a range of speakers, workshops, plenary sessions on all aspects of our sector and we have award ceremonies for the Derek Freeman Scholarship. For people who are not aware, Derek Freeman was, oh gosh, such a legendary figure in establishing breeding programmes, specific breeding programs for our work-purpose-bred dogs. And his daughter Helen is still working in in the breeding area in the UK.
So we do have a scholarship for Derek every year for people to learn about... more about breeding - and the Ken Lord Award, which is a lifelong award, for for people who've contributed more than 25 years in the industry. And we do have the Dorothy Award, which is the award for the best sort of marketing, you know, marketing campaign, those marketing campaigns, the last one that won it was, I think it was Guide Dogs Australia who put a fantastic campaign together about access for clients. It's one of the challenges that every member program in every country faces. And they did. They put a fantastic... act together around... access refusals and what that can mean for people. It was really compelling. So yeah.
So yeah, that conference will be held, 19th to the 22nd of June. And it is... for industry professionals. And we are anticipating that... I think that we've got a training workshop that's being held afterwards, which is similar to the one that we ran at Vision Australia prior to Christmas that's currently sold out. And, yeah, the... tickets for the conference are in hot demand. It's only been open for a month, but I think the conference has nearly sold out too. So yeah. So we're we're all as industry professionals, we're all really looking forward to coming together, learning more, learning from each other in different countries. And yeah, things we can do differently and better.
18:04 S1
And seeing eye dogs... but attending or presenting or... ?
18:09 S2
Yes, we are, we are. We've had two presentations... accepted. So we will be presenting on two items. I won't sort of spoil the fun. And because people may want to come on and talk about the presentations later. But one of them is around some of the early work that we've been doing with puppies in our program. And one is, one is more a client focused... presentation. So, yeah, we'll definitely be represented well at the conference.
18:35 S1
Well, a nice little teaser and hopefully, kind of getting closer. We can get some, you know, inside scoop or even maybe afterwards maybe - maybe we get the feedback from that.
18:48 S2
Oh yeah. So we've got I think Martin is presenting one and Lester, our client services manager, is presenting the other ones, so yeah.
18:56 S1
Cool. I mean, it'll be very, very, very exciting to share all of that information with them, with the world... I'm sure they're quite thrilled about that opportunity.
19:06 S2
Well, I think there's nothing more terrifying than presenting to your peers, actually. Yeah, I did it at the the Assistance Dogs International conference, and... there was some real legendary figures. I was absolutely terrified, I'll be honest. But it was okay.
19:26 S1
Easier to present to people that don't know what they're talking about.
19:29 S2
Oh, look, it's just when you're presenting to people who've been your role model - and Ken Ramirez was there, who... is arguably the best trainer in the world. And... Jane Rosenberger and Alden were there, you know, who are the best canine geneticists and responsible for international working dog registry. So, yeah, it was it was really quite frightening, actually. But... you know, the other side of that is people want you to be successful. So that's... it's a support. It's a friendly crowd.
20:03 S1
Yeah, I was going to say every... everyone, you know, it sounds all from what you said, you know, it's a really, like you said, collaborative atmosphere. And we're all working for the same cause and for the greater good. And so, you know, everyone's there to support and make each other better and develop better, you know, offerings for clients and that type of stuff. So yeah. Very cool.
20:23 S2
Yeah. It was it was good. And... just just on that actually, Chris Muldoon, Dr Chris Muldoon... has also presented his thesis. He presented his work that he's done for his PhD around grief and loss, when clients will experience when, you know, when transitioning from one working dog to another or their retired dog has sadly died. So, yeah. So there's... that work and presentation is available as well if people are interested. So Chris has done some really good work on that. Amazing.
20:57 S1
Well, just to finish off, is there anything else that you would like to share with us about any any of the, yeah... well, anything I guess?
21:05 S2
Oh, gosh. Yeah. I mean, there's always something interesting to talk about seeing eye dogs. We... yeah, I won't sort of go on, but yeah, we've got a, we're doing a lot of work. We're doing a lot of collaborative work with other organisations. I guess... recently I've been pretty humbled to be appointed to Integra Service Dogs Board. So...
21:32 S1
Wow. Congratulations. It's so exciting.
21:34 S2
Yeah. Thank you. Big, big job. And I hope I can do it. Well... you know, the work that... organisation does for first responders and veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder is... very compelling. People may not know that we will provide some of our dogs that aren't suitable to become dog guides, but they're... entirely suitable to to post-traumatic stress disorder work. We will provide some of our dogs to that the organisation. So we've got a very strong working relationship with Integra Service dogs. So yeah... so we're really strengthening that relationship going forward into the future.
I will learn a lot from being on that board because... there's, you know, there's representatives from Department of Veterans Affairs and... a whole sector that I'm absolutely lacking experience in working with. So I'm going to learn a lot too, which hopefully I can bring to my role at Vision Australia. The purpose of me being there is... to provide assistance with... just industry operational experience as well for the organisation. So, yeah, so looking back this year.
22:47 S1
Well, they're lucky to have you and I am glad that we can help find some amazing careers for our dogs that are lovely, but not quite suited for guiding.
22:56 S2
Yeah, I like to call them purposeful placements. So yeah, they're not... yeah, they're... wonderful dogs. We just need to find the right job for them with the right people.
23:06 S1
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show and talking about, yeah, so many amazing things coming up this year. So it sounds like it'll be, yeah, quite exciting.
23:18 S2
Thanks, Harriet. And wish me luck with Moose, my new dog. And as I said... thank you again so much to all our volunteers out there working with the dogs. Yeah, every day I think about you as I'm wrestling with Moose, my new dog. So, yeah, a truly heartfelt thank you to everybody doing that work. Thank you.
23:40 S1
Well, thank you, and good luck with Moose.
23:43 S2
I'll need it.
23:50 S3
Hi there. I'm Michaela. I'm one of the instructors based in New South Wales. I'm really excited to share that the Seeing Eye Dogs Roadshow is going to be heading around the regional areas of New South Wales this coming March. After the success of this Roadshow in Sydney back in November 2024. At the Roadshow, there'll be the opportunity to talk to the two New South Wales-based instructors to have a chat about seeing eye dog mobility, what it involves, what the differences are between having a seeing eye dog, using a long cane, or potentially currently using no mobility aid.
And there'll also be some wonderful seeing eye dogs there that you can meet to cuddle, of course, but also to have the opportunity to take for a trial walk. So that will involve doing a small walk around the local area, to feel what it feels like to actually be guided by a dog guide. The road show is open to current handlers that are looking for support or guidance. Anyone that's interested in finding out more about seeing eye dogs as a mobility aid and also friends, families and support workers of those who are blind or have low vision that might be interested in using a seeing eye dog now or in the future after attending the roadshow.
There is absolutely no pressure to then apply for a seeing eye dog. It's simply just an opportunity to explore that form of mobility aid. Of course, if you are interested in applying, then the instructors there on the day will be able to go through the process with you and support you through the process of applying to be a seeing eye dog handler.
We've got seven locations for the roadshow coming up in March. It'll be Monday, March the 10th in Port Macquarie. Tuesday, March 11th in Coffs Harbour. Wednesday, 12th of March in Tweed Heads. Tuesday the 18th of March in Canberra. Wednesday the 19th of March in Wollongong. Monday the 24th of March in Gosford. And Tuesday the 25th of March in Newcastle. All of the sessions begin at 10:30 a.m. and will run until approximately 1:30 in the afternoon, and there will be refreshments provided as well. If anyone's interested in attending, you can register via the website or you can email - sedclients@visionaustralia.org ... So please do register, and we hope to see you there.
26:23 S1
You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show on Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interview with Seeing Eye Dogs Manager of Puppy Development, Jane Bradley. For more information on International Guide DogFederation and the upcoming conference, head to their website at igdf.org.uk ...
If you'd like to learn about seeing eye dogs, the work we do, becoming a handler, or supporting us, head to our website at Sydney Vision australia.org. We're looking for puppy carers in select regions across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. It's a rewarding role raising puppies with training and support provided and costs including the puppies, food, equipment and vet care covered by Seeing Eye Dogs. Head to our website for the areas and other information.
Or attend our upcoming information session online for all states on Wednesday, March 12th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time, which is Queensland and New South Wales, or 5 to 6 p.m. Queensland or Australian Eastern Standard Time. You can register via the link on our website at SED Vision Australia dot org, forward slash volunteer forward slash information sessions. You can Google seeing it, public hearing information sessions and a Google will do the rest for you too.
Don't forget to tune in same time next week for another episode of the Seeing Eye Dogs Show. Now, to finish off the show, here's a reminder from New South Wales-based singer instructor Michaela Smith about the New South Wales Act Roadshow coming up in March 2025. [NOTE: This actually appears slightly earlier in the program, at 23:50.]
Thanks for listening and have a lovely week.
