Meet that Raiser – Beth Gebhardt

Name: Beth Gebhardt
Occupation: Physical Therapist
Prison: Norfolk
Current Pup: Lucy, 6 months

How long have you been a Weekend Puppy Raiser and how many dogs have you raised? (Include furloughed dogs and the one you are currently raising).

I have been a puppy raiser for 6 years; Lucy is my 6th pup

What led you to Weekend Puppy Raising?

I was looking for a non profit group that our family could give our time to. Our girls were also asking for dog. Our local library had a volunteer fair that we attended and NEADS reps were there with pups. We were sold!

Ice Breakers

If you had one extra hour of free time a day what would you do with it?

An extra hour of reading would be great!

Would you rather be able to speak all foreign languages or talk to animals?

I’d love to speak all languages; would allow me to get to know people better in their countr.

If you could visit one place in the world where would it be and why?

I would like to travel more than I have in the past decade though I have seen almost all of the continental US. New Zealand, the Great Wall of China and anywhere north enough to see the Aurora borealis, I want to visit it all!

Are you a listener or a talker?

Definitely a talker and I’m married to a listener; it works!

Tell us your favorite part about being a Weekend Puppy Raiser or your favorite memory with one of the NEADS pups.

I love the reactions of people when they see these beautiful dogs out in public and I enjoy educating about NEADS and Service Dogs. I love visiting my friend’s 95 year old mother in her nursing home as well as the other residents. I’m usually joined by a WPR friend and her pup and we have made so many people happy there including a 100 year old man who lights up every time we come. We have been visiting these same folks regularly for years now with our pups and it is because of NEADS that we’ve developed these friendships.

 

Read the entire Meet that Raiser series here.