Introducing Alphini

Well, folks, we have a winner! "Alphini" ("Alfie"), formerly known as "Orange Boy," is our newest recruit.

When we got to Dixie's Doodles in Georgetown, we found six of the most adorable, chubby little labradoodle puppies you could ever hope to see. Even after we'd narrowed it down a bit it was still hard to choose. They were friendly, bold, bright, and lively...not to mention as cute as could be! It was as if they were all saying, "Pick me, pick me!"

Puppy temperament testing seems to lie somewhere between art and science, but if done right it can really help choose the right dog for the job. Michelle, our Puppy Program Manager, exposed the puppies to various stimuli and then carefully watched to see what each puppy's reaction would be. She threw down a shake can, which startled the puppies, and watched to see how quickly they "recovered" and went to investigate the source of the noise. She held them cradled on their backs...

...these puppies acted like that was no big deal at all.

After a few preliminaries, it was time for the Singing Christmas Tree of Doom. We pushed a button and the little tree wiggled, jingled, and burst out with a raucous, "Rockin' around the Christmas tree... "

...but again, the puppies were pretty unfazed. In fact, I think they kind of liked it!

Puppies, let me clarify: Chewing pant legs is not actually one of the tests!

Ideally a potential guide dog would be willing to walk under things (running through an agility tunnel is great!)...

...look up as well as straight ahead...

...and negotiate unfamiliar surfaces (here, a wire grate, rocking back and forth, partly covered by a crinkly jacket. Alfie attacked it with great enthusiasm).

Michelle also spent some time just observing the puppies as they played and interacted with one another. It wasn't an easy decision!

But at last, Alfie won us over with lots of persistence and a dash of charm. We look forward to bringing him home after Thanksgiving!