Laura Wildsmith is training the gorgeous Ezra as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Award.

How did you get involved with training guide dogs (how is this related to the Duke of Ed)?

My mum started volunteering for Guide Dogs Tasmania in around 2018. We started looking after dogs for varying periods of time. As volunteers, we mainly work on the puppy’s socialisation and general obedience, teaching them how to sit, stay, lie down etc.. Over the years I have become more involved in the process of training and caring for the puppies. As part of the Duke of Ed program I am required to do a certain number of hours of community service. I decided that training Ezra would be a good way to achieve this!

What are some of the challenges involved with training a puppy as a service dog?

One of the biggest challenges is when it comes time for the puppy to go into formal training and you have to say goodbye. However, it’s very rewarding to know that he is going to make such a big difference to someone’s life.

What do you want people to know about this project?

That even though Ezra must work very hard and be very focused at school, he doesn’t work that hard all the time. In fact, 70% of the time he just gets to hang out at home and play with his toys and our pet dog, Charli.

What other tasks have you completed or will you need to complete as part of the Duke of Ed?

I have had to spend a certain number of hours learning a new skill and doing a kind of physical recreation. For my skill I learnt how to crochet, and for my physical recreation I go running. We also go on an adventurous journey at the end of the year. For this we are planning a trip to Maria Island to go camping and hiking.