GDB

That's an acronym for "Guide Dogs for the Blind".  My daughter and son-in-law are puppy-raisers for this amazing group, and today, for only the third time, they got to meet the puppy truck and were given an "infant" to take home and raise from scratch.  Most often, they take older puppies who have had some difficulties in other homes, and decide whether the pups can move on to more serious training, or if they need to be "career-changed".  The babies are adorable...there's nothing like a baby...but they are a lot of work!  Here's Emma with the newest baby:

It's too much, isn't it?  His name is Pegasus, and he is eight weeks old.  And if the stars align, someday Pegasus will belong to someone whose life will be exponentially richer thanks to the gift that this family has given.  To take these puppies into your home...take them to work, to the grocery store, to the restaurant, to the playground...to do this for more than a year, and then to surrender this incredible creature to the organization for serious training...it's more than most of us could ever do.  And yet, this is what they do, over and over again. 

And if, for one reason or another, the puppy isn't deemed acceptable to lead a vision-impaired person through life?  Well, either the puppy is trained as a different kind of service dog, or someone on a long waiting list will get the pet of a lifetime.  In fact, Emma's two "house dogs" were raised by her family to be guide dogs, but Janna was too sensitive to noise, and Luna was too sensitive to smells.  Guide Dogs for the Blind cannot flinch at loud noises, and they cannot be distracted by smells. 

So whatever the future holds for little Pegasus, he will be impeccably mannered and one of the most delightful dogs you'd ever hope to meet.