Meet the Raiser – Jane O’Neill

Name: Jane O’Neill
Occupation: Retired Travel Counselor
Current Pup: Parker, 14 1/2 months

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

This is my first time raising a pup.

What led you to Puppy Raising?

I live in a 55 and over community and NEADS came and did a presentation here in 2019 looking for raisers. I was very impressed and interested after the presentation. Seeing how these dogs can change people’s lives is what sold me. I met 2 dogs at the presentation and thought, “I can do this.”

Ice Breakers

If you had your own talk show, who would your first 3 guests be?

Tyler Perry, Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Fallon

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

I would probably play Worlds with Friends

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

I would rather be able to speak foreign languages. I have done a lot of travel and always regretted not knowing the language

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

Working in the travel industry I visited some amazing destinations. The one place I really want to go is South Africa. I want to visit Victory Falls and Cape Town. I had an amazing trip planned for 2020 and that didn’t happen because of the Pandemic. It is still on my bucket list and I hope to get there maybe next year.

Are you a listener or a talker?

I think I’m a little bit of both.

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

It is very difficult to come up with one memory or favorite part when there are so many. My favorite part has been watching her grow from a little puppy into the young woman she is today. We had some challenging times, but we got through them. Once we started our field trips, I watched her bloom. Parker has a wonderful personality. She loves her toys and loves sharing her rope with Charity or any other pup that will grab the rope. If they don’t grab the rope Parker will continue to prance in front of them hoping they will latch on.

When I volunteered to be a puppy raiser, I had no idea how the pandemic would change our lives. I was so grateful that I chose this time to raise a puppy because Parker helped me as much as I helped her. She definitely changed my life for the better. This has been a very rewarding experience.

One special memory stands out. We were at my grandson’s little league game. This particular game we were away from the crowd and the bleachers and sitting with family and friends. Parker and I practiced commands for everyone to see how smart she was. One of the mother’s asked if her son could pat the dog. I gave Parker the command to say hello and the little boy slowly came over but kept at a distance. She said hello very sweetly and then he wanted her to do “shake.” He was too far away and I had to coax him to get a little closer. She did “shake” for him and he gave her a treat. Later I found out that this boy was petrified of dogs. I was thrilled to learn that Parker was part of a very important moment for him. It was very touching. These pups really do change people’s lives.

Read the entire Meet that Raiser series here.