My History with Seeing Eye Trainers

Our class of 20 blind people is divided into four different groups, each group taught by another certified trainer. My teacher is terrific. After receiving a degree in elementary education at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, she taught kindergarten. During summers she was hired at summer camps for children who had disabilities. She enjoyed that work so much she returned to Stephen F. Austin State University to get graduate certification in orientation and mobility and, for a while, taught that to people who are blind. She loves dogs, and moving to New Jersey for The Seeing Eye’s three-year apprentice program seemed like a natural next step. Now she’s an instructor here. From the Seeing Eye Web site:

Staff instructors are full-time employees who hold college degrees from various fields of study and have successfully completed three years of specialized on-the-job training. They relate well to dogs and people and are physically fit, since their jobs are physically demanding and involve working outdoors in all weather. Some of our instructors came from teaching, business consulting and rehabilitation fields. Some were in the military and worked with dogs before, and many started out as kennel assistants here at The Seeing Eye.

Another trainer here started out in animal sciences at Rutgers University here in New Jersey. “I wanted to move to Hollywood and train animals,” she told me. “You know, for television and the movies.” That all changed after she got involved with the puppy raising program on campus at Rutgers. She raised two Seeing Eye puppies while she was a student there, eventually becoming president of the club. “I knew your dog Harper when he was a puppy!” she said. “I’m still really good friends with the people who raised him at Rutgers.”

Sometimes Harper thought he was a lap dog.

Each person who volunteers to raise a puppy for the Seeing Eye writes up a little report to let us in on what our dogs lives were like before they were matched with us, so I did know Harper had spent time at Rutgers. I never dreamed I’d meet the president of the club, though! Here’s an excerpt of Harper’s puppy profile:

Harper was attending classes at my university (including attending the graduation!), going on buses and trains, attending other club meetings, university equestrian team shows with 20+ horses, a trip to the airport — going on a plane but not taking off, emergency vehicles, malls, stores, fairs, the beach (his favorite), on a boat, in pools, overnight charity events, elementary school presentations, a retirement/recovery home, soccer, football, and hockey games.

So yes. Harper was a Rutgers grad! An article on the Rutgers University Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club web site described these generous students who volunteered their time to raise puppies for us.

To truly stop and spend a few moments observing the volunteers of the Rutgers University Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club, you’re struck too by their obvious affection for and commitment to their charges – cute, adorable puppies with names like Elroy, Yankee, Harper, and Oz.

Did you read that? The article mentioned Harper! Over this past weekend the former Rutgers University Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club President said she’ll let her friends know she met me. “I’ll try to get their contact info to you.”

Our friends Chris And Larry took Harper in after he retired, and they let me know they’d love to let Harper’s puppy raisers know what their fellow Rutgers grad is up to these days.

I’ll be amazed if that happens. Instructors are wayyy busier than we students are here. When would she find time to locate that contact info? Maybe after class is over. In the meantime, back to Harper’s puppy profile. My favorite part:

He is the coolest dog I’ve ever had. His personality is a great combination of independence and affection.

Amen to that. THANK YOU to all the instructors here who work so, so hard to train dogs to keep us safe and, thereby, build our confidence. And thanks also to the wonderful, generous volunteer puppy raisers out there, including Whitney’s new family in Pennsylvania. You all are our heroes.

Looking forward to hearing the puppy profile for my new dog — my instructor will read it out loud to me late next week, before my 22-month-old female Black Lab guides me down the jetway onto our flight to her new home with Mike and me in Chicago.