We don’t think we can handle all the cuteness! These two new four-legged friends have just been recruited by Service Dogs Malta Foundation and will be undergoing training to be the best doggos to help kids in need. In honour of International Dogs Day, we got in touch with the foundation to learn all about their two newest cuties.

Stephanie Theuma, Puppy Raiser Coordinator at the foundation (how cool is that role, though?!) spoke to us about the two new recruits. “We got Sasha and Daisy just last week and they’ve already begun basic training such as ‘Sit, Stay, Down’ and no jumping on sofas and beds, and eating from our food,” she says.

The two adorable puppers, who were donated to the foundation, are just nine weeks old, Labradors and sisters! How cute is that? They’ll be going through their training side by side! “Their full training lasts about a year and a half, after which we match them off to families where they will be in permanent homes.” Stephanie explains that they don’t work on a first-come-first-served basis, but solely on the dogs’ instincts. “We see how the dog reacts with the family and the child especially, and we go from there.”

She also tells us that the dogs’ main areas will be identifying Diabetes and helping kids with Autism, which is in high demand. But Sasha and Daisy are still young for their roles to be determined, so for now they’re enjoying running around outdoors and slowly become accustomed to their important training.

These two puppers were named by Facebook followers who competed for the honour of naming the girls by bidding donations. “As an NGO we are always in need of money,” Stephanie explains, so this was a great way of raising funds. She explains that the cost of training the dogs and caring for them costs around 15 to 20 thousand euros, but the organisation gives them to families for free. So, every little helps!

Stephanie also told us that Service Dogs Malta Foundation are always looking for puppy raisers. *Intrigued* Tell us more… “Basically a person keeps a puppy for a year and a half, sticking to our rules of training since it’s different to that of a pet. Everything is paid for by the foundation and the puppy must attend training once a week with one of our trainers.” It’s a long process and the dogs are gradually introduced to potential puppy raisers to make sure they click with the family they’ll be staying with.

Service Dogs Malta Foundation / Facebook