Over winter break I got to finally begin my volunteer duties with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, an organization that raises and trains seeing-eye dogs who eventually go on to live with and assists those who are visually-impaired. Going into this experience, I was expecting a lot of work and not a lot of sleep. I somehow still underestimated just how difficult it would actually be.

I wrote another article earlier this year in which I detailed the process of preparing to take guide-dogs-in-training into your home. Reading it over now, I stand by my insistence that this is NOT a job for everyone. While it is a worthwhile and fulfilling experience, it is also critical that these puppies are receiving the love and attention they deserve while they are in your household.

The first time I socialized, only one puppy came home with me. He came with a crate, a big exercise pen, and all his toys and food, plus instructions on what to do while he was with me. For the first hour or so at home, Judson seemed like a miracle. We took him outside to get busy right away and then he came inside ready to play and cuddle.

Then came the pee.

Judson, being a puppy, had minimal bladder control, and a frequent need to urinate. As he was not housebroken, it was common to blink your eyes and suddenly see a puddle underneath him that had not been their seconds before. We used a LOT of paper towels that week.

The cleaning up after him was manageable. The longer he was with us, the more accustomed we got to his schedule and his patterns, so we knew when it was time to take him outside - which was pretty much every half hour. It was okay though because he was so cute out in the snow (how he would sit on your feet to stay warm) that you almost forgot it was below freezing outside.

The hardest part for me was at night. Since the puppies are used to living with their mother and the rest of the litter, anytime a puppy is sent to a home on his or her own to socialize, they get very lonely. Labs, in particular, are pack animals, and they like to be around members of their pack. That means that leaving Judson alone in his pen, even if I was sitting on the couch five feet away, resulted in a lot of whining and crying.

The puppies need to get used to being in their kennel for some time, and it was hard to not take him out as soon as I had put him down. All I wanted to do was cuddle and knowing that he was lonely made it that much worse.

For the four days, Judson was with my family, I got minimal sleep. I slept next to the pen so he wouldn't get too lonely at night, but then when he would wake up at 4 AM needing to pee, he would see me and think it was time to come out and play or eat. There was a lot of waking up every three hours to calm him down and let both of us get back to sleep.

Besides lacking sleep, I was sorely lacking personal time. With my brothers at school and clubs most of the day, and my dad at work, it was my mom and I who took on a good majority of the responsibility. As she was working from home, I tried to keep Judson busy so she could focus, and she would give me breaks to eat, shower, and rest.

All in all, I was a tired, cranky, black-hair-covered mess by the time it was Judson's return date, but remembering how hard it had been didn't make saying goodbye to him any easier. Having to hand him back to the trainers at the breeding center ripped my heart in half, and he had only been with me for four days!

Two days later, I returned to pick up two more puppies, Lopez, and his sister Lava.Two more black labs, they were twice as much work and twice as much fun. The benefit to having two puppies was that they kept each other company, but two dogs in the house also meant double the work. The five days they were with us was a blur of cleaning up, feeding, and interacting with the pups. I would take one out, only to come back inside and find the other patiently waiting for her turn, then come back again to find the other, ready to go out again.

As exhausting and, at times, frustrating as it was, I am ready for my next home socialization. I'm going to miss the puppies I've already socialized, but the chance to help raise more amazing dogs and be giving back to my community in return is something I'm excited about. I highly recommend looking into volunteering with these dogs if you think you're up for the challenge. It is worth every missed second of sleep.