Sarasota Hospital Raising Southeastern Guide Dog Puppy

SARASOTA, FL — HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital is training a new breed of helper — a 13-week-old black Labrador retriever.

The puppy, Skipper, comes from Southeastern Guide Dogs, a nonprofit organization that breeds, raises and trains guide dogs for the visually impaired and service dogs for veterans with PTSD, according to a news release.

Skipper is being raised by the hospital’s chief medical officer, Jennifer Bocker, and chief operations officer, Kelly Malloy. They’re taking turns bringing the pup to work and after work, she goes home to live with them.

The new trainee is learning how to navigate busy spaces and commands like “sit,” “walk” and “stay,” the news release said.

“We work in a busy and stressful environment. Having Skipper here lightens our days. She is not visiting our patients, because she is a guide dog in training, but there are so many smiles when Skipper visits our caregivers. This is a great environment for her to learn socialization. She is very smart, loves tummy rubs and sleeping under our desks,” Bocker said.

Shepard added, “Puppy raisers play an integral role in the lives of our dogs and even into the lives of the people who ultimately become their match. It is an incredibly rewarding experience and a great opportunity for co-workers, friends, or families to be a part of something that is meaningful, rewarding, and fun.”

Skipper will live and train with the hospital leaders until she is 12 to 14 months old.