Guiding Eyes for the Blind Award Ceremony for Clinton Town Services

Special canines take on special roles

Story and photos by Jim Murtagh

Clinton, Oct 8, 2005 - A room full of puppy raisers, from the local chapter of Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB), gathered in the Clinton library to express their gratitude to the Town of Clinton this Saturday morning. For five years, the town has graciously opened their community rooms at the library, ambulance, firehouse and police station to allow GEB to conduct their twice monthly “puppy classes.”

GEB Area Coordinator, Barbara Sizer, presented Captain Scott Davenport from Clinton’s EMS, and Maribeth Breen, Director for Clinton Library, with a plaque to recognize the town’s generosity.

Left to Right: Barbara Sizer, Area Coordinator for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Scott Davenport, Captain Clinton EMS and Meredith Breen, Director Clinton Library

The job of a puppy raiser is to teach potential guide dogs basic obedience, house manners and socialization skills over a period of 14 to 20 months. Area puppies can often be seen practicing their stair training in the local library, or sitting contentedly in the firehouse parking lot as fire engines sound their horns and run their sirens. These dogs need to remain calm in any environment, so it is essential to expose them to a variety of real life distractions under controlled circumstances. The town facilities are an ideal resource for this training.

Special guest speaker Kari Young from Everett, PA was also in attendance to talk to the puppy raisers, and explain how their efforts eventually help visually impaired people like herself. Kari was accompanied by her guide dog Cosmo, which happens to be the fifth puppy Sizer raised for GEB.

Young told the crowd that their puppy training efforts stay with the dog forever. The ability to go up and down stairs in a controlled manner, and to stop before going through a doorway, are essential skills that the guide dog will use everyday.

Young also explained the difficulty she had learning to put her trust in a dog when she initially attended classes at GEB’s Yorktown Heights, NY training center. She recalls the first time she walked with a dog on a harness. “I was very hesitant. My whole body was tense.” Eventually, both dog and owner learned to trust each other and a powerful relationship was formed.

Cosmo has been with Young for three years and is her second guide dog.

Kari Young talks to a room full of puppy raisers accompanied by her guide dog Cosmo and Lisa Sizer.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind is a not-for-profit organization which provides professionally trained Guiding Eyes dogs, training, and lifetime support services to blind and visually impaired men and women. These services are offered free of charge due to the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, and civic organizations.

The local GEB chapter has puppy raisers from Milford to Old Saybrook, and is always looking for more people to accept this rewarding challenge. Further information is available at www.guidingeyes.org or by calling 1-866-GEB-LABS.