In this week's episode of Chit Chat Across the Pond, I'm joined by long-time NosillaCastaway Seamus Lavery. Seamus started posting photos of his black lab Quaid to the live chatroom, and then explained that he’s a “puppy raiser” for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. He agreed to come on the show to tell us what it’s like to be a puppy raiser, what his responsibilities are, what he’s supposed to teach Quaid, and the uphill road it is for Quaid to qualify to be a Service Dog for the blind.

Bart is a Belgian living in the Republic of Ireland, while Seamus is a Northern Irishman who lived for 12 years in Belgium (now living in the Washington DC area). His accent is delightful and his story is fascinating.

Links Seaumus mentions:

* Guiding Eyes for The Blind

* Pilots To The Rescue

* Pilots to the Rescue delivering 3 Guiding Eyes Puppies

* Trailer for Disney+'s series Pick of the Litter

* Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History: The Dog Will See You Now

* You can follow Seamus as @batfink2001 on Twitter