Big Brother wasn’t lying when he said that Alice’s reward for winning the endurance task would have effects that reach well beyond the boundaries of the House. Ollie is set to alter one person’s life forever by becoming the eyes of someone who is visually impaired.
To find out a bit more about Ollie we chatted to lady-in-the-know Carolyn Moorshead from Australia’s National University for Dogs: Seeing Eye Dogs Australia.
So where did Ollie come from?
“He was born in our own facilities at SEDA and is one of a litter of 10. His Mum’s a Labrador called China and his Dad is a Golden Retriever named Henry. They gave us five boys and five girls – so we were very lucky! They will all be trained as Seeing Eye Dogs and assessed continually but only 50 – 60% may go on to become Seeing Eye Dogs.”
Where can Seeing Eye Dogs like Ollie go?
“They can go everywhere except zoos because they’re an area of quarantine and some surgical operating theatres. They can go camping and to the movies and coffee shops - as long as they have their blue coat on. When they get older they’ll wear their harness and handle and blue coat when they're in public but when they get home they’ll take it off – it’s so that they know the difference between work and play.”
So it’s perfectly acceptable for Ollie to gatecrash the Big Brother House?
“Absolutely! One of the things we encourage is exposing our pups to as many different experiences as possible. The Big Brother House is going to be a positive experience for him. We’ve made sure the environment is puppy friendly and we expect he’ll settle into the House quite well. The Housemates will be very excited!”
What sort of things will the Housemates have to do to Ollie?
“They will be required to maintain the puppy’s training. He’s familiar with a lot of the basic commands. [He] knows how to sit, stay, wait for his dinner, he knows how to lie on his bed and he’s learning how to go the toilet on command.”
Why do some people use a long white cane as opposed to a dog?
“Some vision impaired people are not comfortable with the idea of a dog but there are some that we believe would benefit greatly from a dog. They can provide a much higher level of independence.”
What happens to the dogs that may not make the grade?
“They’ll be withdrawn from the program and put into an adoption program where we have people who apply who can give them a home. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the puppy will go to the first person on the list. We like to match the puppy to the new owner. Sometimes for health reasons, other times because particular pups may need extra care.”
Is it hard to release the dog to its owner once its been trained?
“There’s some emotion when you’re giving up your puppy, part of the training means that they’re with you all the time. But the proudest moment is actually seeing your pup graduate and become the eyes of someone who is blind or vision impaired. There’s nothing more special.”
And can you ever reunite? Will Alice ever see Ollie again once he leaves the House?
“It depends on the client. Obviously there needs to be some time break between contact but at the end of the day it’s nothing that we ask. It’s very much a personal thing.”
Read about how you can be involved in supporting SEDA and check out how Ollie is faring in the House.
