We Warmly Welcome Whit

November 28, 2011 • Posted in blindness, guide dogs, Mike Knezovich, Seeing Eye dogs, Uncategorized by

Hi folks, it’s me again — Mike Knezovich, aka Beth’s husband. Feels like the movie “Groundhog Day,” or “Groundhog Year.” The time since Beth left for the Seeing Eye last November seems to have flown by. And like last year, I’ll be getting dispatches from Beth —  who will be very, very busy, not to mention tired — at The Seeing Eye during training. I’ll try to fill Beth’s blog shoes while she’s gone, and pass along her news as it comes.

And some just came: It’s a girl. Named Whitney. The trainer says she goes by just “Whit” most of the time.

She’s a Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever cross (like Hanni) who Beth guesses to be a little taller than Hanni. They met around 1 p.m. today (Monday), and Beth called with the news while sitting on the floor with Whitney nuzzling up to her. No pictures yet, but I’ll post them as soon as I get any.

Not that Beth hasn’t been busy since she flew to New Jersey on Saturday. She’s been on training walks with instructors, sat in lectures and had her time scheduled solid. When she calls she’s typically interrupted by an intercom announcement calling students to the next activity.

Which is great, because the last three weeks — and really, the last couple months — have been a slog. We both were reminded of how independent Beth is with a Seeing Eye dog, and how much more she has to depend on me without. Plus, there has been sort of a dark cloud around this year’s trip. Last year was certainly bittersweet, what with Hanni heading off to retirement. But it was filled with the excitement of a new dog, and looking forward to another long partnership between Beth and her new dog. That didn’t turn out, and this trip has had a tinge of sadness and fatigue about it from the beginning.

So it was terrific to hear Beth and Whitney on the phone. Beth was upbeat and giggling, and I can’t wait to meet Whit. I’m confident it’ll be a good match, and that with just a bit of luck, this will prove to be a long partnership. By the time the dogs get this far, they have proven they have the right stuff. According to The Seeing Eye, 60 percent of the dogs born at the Seeing Eye make it to the training stage. Eighty percent of the dogs who make it to training stage go on to be placed with a blind person and work as a Seeing Eye dog. So about half the dogs — who are carefully bred by The Seeing Eye  — end up being placed as guides.

Beth’s first dog, Pandora, worked until the age of 12 and lived to 17. Hanni worked until 11 and we hope she matches Dora in longevity. Harper worked less than a year, but it was truly a “dog year.” Besides a harrowing near-miss with a car, he managed to run into a lot of other difficult situations that were mostly a matter of bad luck. Including walking into the elevator that happened to be occupied by two skittish Chows that lunged at and bit him.

So while it’s sad about Harper, I don’t for a second consider the time a failure. I do miss scratching his big lovable head, though. And I’ll always be grateful for the job he did for Beth, and for The Seeing Eye.

glivingston On November 28, 2011 at 3:19 pm

Yeah!! Welcome to Whit! I think it is probably about time to have a female in the mix. It must feel great to be making progress towards getting around more easily. Thanks Mike for filling in–love keeping up with you this way.

Mike On November 28, 2011 at 4:45 pm

Thanks Gretchen, great to hear from you–hope all is well up there. I’ll pass your message on to Beth–ordinarily she’s on top of this but she really does get immersed in her time there.

Jeff Flodin On November 28, 2011 at 4:01 pm

Welcome Whit from Jeff and Randy, the big black dog and Seeing Eye alumnus, class of February 2010. We look forward to making your acquaintance!

Mike On November 28, 2011 at 4:46 pm

Thanks Jeff–I’m excited to meet Whit and I’ll pass along your welcome to Beth and Whit.

Hava On November 28, 2011 at 6:30 pm

Welcome Witney! I can’t wait to see how beautiful she is. Good luck with getting to know her, and her getting to know you. May it be a great partnership.

marilee amodt On November 28, 2011 at 6:36 pm

Hurray! So happy to hear about Whit! Can’t wait to meet her! Thank you Mike for taking on the blog and keeping us all informed. Marilee

nancyb On November 28, 2011 at 8:43 pm

yeah! go Whit and Beth! love from NB, SB and HK

Mike H On November 29, 2011 at 3:07 am

Mike: First, I’m sorry to hear about Harper. But welcome to Whit, who looks like such a great companion to have! I’m looking forward to reading more as the adventure begins with Whit. Thanks for sharing this.

Nancy On November 29, 2011 at 8:23 am

Thanks for this update and insightful post, Mike. Looking forward to meeting Whit!

bethfinke On November 29, 2011 at 3:25 pm

Maybe Whit can join the book group:)

Cam On November 29, 2011 at 1:40 pm

Thanks for the update, Mike. Those of us at Easter Seals are all looking forward to meeting Whitney…and having Beth back, of course.

Caren On November 29, 2011 at 1:48 pm

1000 watts of Whittage!!!

(We have a coworker named Whitney, and she is high energy and lots of Fun) I hope Beth’s new Whitney is the same..

Karen Steiner On November 29, 2011 at 2:18 pm

Hey, Mike & Beth: I’ve been catching up with you two on the blog. Did you know I have a dog now? She a rescue boxer named Rose, aka Rose the Ridiculous Dog. Dog energy good.
All best, Karen

bethfinke On November 29, 2011 at 3:24 pm

Karen! Great to hear from you, and good luck with that Boxer. I hear they’re pretty high-energy.

Cheryl On November 29, 2011 at 4:10 pm

Fits right in with the family….Mike, Beth, Gus and Whit. Looking forward to meeting her.

Golden Retriever Puppies On December 4, 2011 at 8:38 pm

There is a reason they use Golden Retrievers as seeing eye dogs. They’re just so darn smart…welcome Whit!

Cheers,

Sharon

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