Puppy Profile

There’s Speedo and Beth during a break. (Photo: Amy Einhorn)

Seeing Eye puppies are born and bred at the Seeing Eye breeding station in New Jersey. When they are six weeks old, they go to live with a volunteer for a year. Puppy raisers give the dogs affection, teach them basic obedience, and expose them to social situations they might encounter as Seeing Eye dogs.

The Seeing Eye practices a sort of “closed adoption” policy: I am not told who the puppy raisers were, and they do not know who their puppy was placed with. Which, I suppose, is another good reason to stick with the pen name “Speedo” for a while longer — makes it unlikely the puppy raiser will find us via social media. When these wonderful, generous, selfless volunteers return the dog they raised to The Seeing Eye campus for formal training, they’re asked to write up a Puppy Profile to give to the blind person who is eventually matched with the sweet puppy they raised.

Yesterday morning our trainer had my new dog guide me to a busy coffee shop in Morristown. Once there, the trainer read the Puppy Profile out loud to me, and now, I’m sharing Speedo’s Puppy Profile with you, our loyal Safe & Sound blog readers. Here goes:

Puppy Profile

Speedo’s Family
Speedo was raised in a family comprised of Mom and Dad 3 boys aged 17, 13 and 11, and 1 girl who was away at college most of the time. She was the 3rd pup for this family. Speedo stayed at home during the day with mom. Very active household once school was let out and on the weekends. Lots of kids,
sports, etc.

Speedo’s Home
Speedo’s house is a large two story home on a quiet residential street. There is a pool in the back that has a fence around it but not much property in the back of the house. There are no sidewalks around their home.

Speedo’s Furry Friends
Evie was the pet of the family, a “career changed” black Lab 3 years old from The Seeing Eye. They were close during play time and at night. During the day, Evie preferred her own space away from everyone. Speedo was also friends with a mini dachshund that the family watched on occasion. She got along well with any dog she met.

Speedo’s Outings
Speedo has been to the airport, 4-H dog show, parades, Fleet Week, subways, etc. Daily walks around town, rides to school, sports, doctor visits, etc. College campus visits, dentist visits regularly, Visits to train station and local rides on the train!

Speedo’s Characteristics
Speedo likes to work hard and play hard. She has a lot of spunk. She loves accompanying our family to all activities. She loves to play with kids, fetching balls and sticks and chasing them alongside the pool as they swim. She is super attentive to all commands and eager to please.

Speedo’s Favorite Toys
She loves her Nylabone and a rubber ducky.

Cute Stories About Speedo
She would encourage our other dog to chase her…really egging her on until Evie would chase her like an enemy. 15 minutes later, they would be cuddled up together napping.

How Did Spedo Ask to Go Outside?
Speedo would stand at back door.

So there you have it. After Speedo’s trainer was done reading, she laughed and said that the puppy raisers forgot to mention one last thing about my new dog: “She’s sassy!”