The Press of Manorville & the Moriches Online Edition

On two separate occasions in recent months, the Mastic Firehouse was filled not with firefighters but with puppies.

And on February 25, about 15 or 20 puppies and their temporary owners will descend for a third time on the firehouse for a puppy training session led by instructors from the Guide Dog Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides guide dogs to the blind.

The temporary owners, volunteers for the Smithtown-based foundation, individually house and train the puppies, which are bred by the foundation, for one year with the hope that their dog, when it reaches 14 months old, will go on to become a guide dog.

“Guiding is a very refined skill, so it is kind of an honor for a dog that is serving in that capacity,” said Sally Scranton, a volunteer puppy caretaker who has helped raise 14 dogs for the foundation.

The Mastic Firehouse offers a prime location where volunteers can expose their puppies to different stimuli, including stairs with metal grating, heavy traffic on Mastic Road and fire engine sirens, all of which help to acclimate the dog to the distractions of everyday life.

Volunteers said it is important to prepare the puppies for more rigorous training ahead, after the puppies are returned to the foundation and tested to become guide dogs.

“They go up stairs, down the elevator; we sound the siren to make sure they don’t get excited and jump,” Mastic Fire Chief Steve Quesada said. “They’re obedient and smart dogs, and as long as they’re helping the blind out, that’s great.”

The Guide Dog Foundation, established in 1946, provides guide dogs to the blind free of charge. At its kennels in Smithtown, the foundation breeds about 300 puppies each year, including Labradors, golden retrievers and poodles. Less than half that number go on to become guide dogs, according to Bill Krol, a spokesman for the foundation.

Dogs that do not become guide dogs are adopted out, sometimes to the volunteer who raised it, also free of charge.

Disqualifying traits that can keep a dog from become a guide dog include bad temperament, health issues and lower intelligence, Mr. Krol said.

“Trainers evaluate all of the traits when they are determining what dog will work best,” Mr. Krol said. “The more things it is exposed to at an early stage, the better it will be able to handle things in its role as a guide dog.”

The foundation does not reimburse volunteers for such things as food, pet furniture or pet clothing. It does, however, reimburse owners for visits to the veterinarian.

Ms. Scranton said that seven of her 14 dogs have become guide dogs. Some of the ones that didn’t make the cut she adopted: two yellow and one black Labrador.

Being a volunteer is worth the time and effort, she said, and the day that a dog she trained is certified as a guide dog is the biggest payback.

“It’s the best day, every time, because you are invested in your dogs,” she said. “In this busy world, it’s very difficult to make that commitment. It is a lot of work, but it is so worth it in the end.”