Meet Nala, a young service dog in training by Fundappas

A school for service dogs 

Have you heard about Fundappas yet? To understand Nala’s story, this NGO is key. Fundappas is the first school for guide and assistance dogs in Uruguay. It raises, socializes and trains guide and assistance dogs to be given free of charge to visually impaired people as well as families with children suffering from autistic disorders (ASD). Boehringer Ingelheim has been supporting Fundappas ever since the founding of the NGO. We provide them with parasiticides, vaccines and medical treatment for the dogs as well as promote their meaningful activities and projects.

First steps to becoming a service dog 

Inspired by Fundappas’ efforts and contributions to society, Mercedes Piriz, our colleague from Commercial Quality Uruguay, decided to adopt one of the trainee dogs herself and become a dog socializer. After several interviews with Fundappas, she adopted Nala in March. “A Fundappas service dog’s training begins with a socializing phase in a transit home – that’s the stage Nala is at right now. Currently, she has to accompany me to as many places as possible, so it becomes natural for her to be in public places and to remain calm,” shares Mercedes. Together, she and Nala go to the mall, to get groceries, go to friend’s homes, to restaurants – and now even to work! However, Mercedes had to overcome some hurdles to get to this point.

Getting Nala to the office

When Mercedes got Nala, she was just 4 months old and ready to meet the world. Yet the world had other plans at first: “I got Nala exactly as COVID-19 hit our country. I was supposed to socialize her, take her to public places, let her meet people. Instead, because of the lockdown, we had to stay at home,” Mercedes shares. 

Today, our colleagues in Uruguay are coming back to the office, after months of lockdown, and Nala is going to work with Mercedes for the first time! Her colleagues are thrilled to have a dog at the office. However, Nala is there to learn to stay quiet and focused. Not always an easy task! “Nala is super active, playful, and so cute! It is really hard to teach her to stay put. Sometimes it is also hard for people to understand that she needs to be quiet and calm to do her job,” explains Mercedes. “The key is to train dogs with love and care. They understand it and give it back.” She adds: “I am so glad that, together with Boehringer Ingelheim, I can make this dream of training Nala come true.” 

The next stage

And what will Nala’s next steps be to become a fully trained service dog? After a year of socialization, Mercedes will return Nala to Fundappas, so Nala can start the formal training process. After two additional years of training, Fundappas will give Nala and other newly trained service dogs to visually impaired people or families with children suffering from autistic disorders (ASD), totally free of charge. There, these dogs can make a positive difference in people’s lives.