Thanksgiving, Part Three: Clara

Thanksgiving, Part Three:  Clara

Back in the spring/summer of 2012, Megan and Joe became affiliated with a group called “Guiding Eyes for the Blind.” It is an organization that provides service dogs to those in need. They breed the dogs with the finest temperaments, hoping for the greatest possibility of sweetness and success. Most of the dogs are pure-bred Labradors, either black or yellow.

The kids learned all about Guiding Eyes’ procedures, thought it sounded like a wonderful organization, and volunteered to foster one of their puppies. Megan and Joe had to be interviewed and qualify for that job, committing to a year-and-a-half of puppy shenanigans, weekly training sessions, care, love, and finally, releasing the dog back to Guiding Eyes for the final intensive finish.

Todd and I questioned her. “Do you really think you could raise a puppy to the age of 18 months and then let it go? Isn’t that going to be really hard?”

And she replied, “Yeah, it will be hard, but just think how awesome it would be if the dog does well and makes it through the program – it will go on to really help someone who needs it.”

So in August of ’12, at the age of ten weeks, ‘Clara’ came to live with them. She’s a heart-breakingly beautiful yellow lab. The kids lived up to their obligations and took her for all of her training sessions, made sure she got good care and love. They learned so much about raising a dog. The program insists on completely positive reinforcement, never saying “No,” always using diversion. At first the kids wore a pouch around their waists which held a portion of Clara’s daily food allowance. Whenever she did anything remotely good, she got a reward. Before you knew it, she was always right there by their side. Todd and I met her last October, when she was four months old, and she was already doing well then. Here she is, in her bandana...

                                              Joe, Clara (4 mos. old), Megan

Because the training is specific and intense, if Megan and Joe needed to travel, another Guiding Eyes family took the dog for the duration. Likewise, they ‘sat for’ a number of dogs throughout the year. It was actually a good thing for Clara to be with other people from time to time, since it wasn’t technically their dog, but the program’s dog.

Clara is almost 18 months old, and the kids got notice that she’s nearing the end of her stay with them. At first they were told “January” as a departure date, but then it got moved to “mid-December.” When Todd and I were out there over Thanksgiving, Megan asked if we’d like to attend one of the Guiding Eyes graduation ceremonies. It wasn’t for Clara – it was just a ceremony so that we could see the complete cycle of how the program works. The four of us went.

Once a dog enters the program, it could become a seeing eye dog, or a dog that senses seizures, a companion for a child with autism or another issue, a companion animal for the elderly, some have even gone into government work. Their path is unknown until they can be evaluated to see its strengths and weaknesses. For Clara, time will tell. But for the dogs that were graduating on that November Saturday – oh my… they were going off to live with their new ‘people,’ all of which were blind.

It started out with a slide show, and the first song was Jack Johnson’s version of “We are gonna be friends.”  As the images flashed on the screen – the puppies with their trainers (the work Megan and Joe have been doing), and watching the dogs grow, train and work – My eyes already started to water. I reached into my coat pocket to rummage for a Kleenex. Megan, who had been told how emotional the day could be, handed me my very own plastic package.  

The presenters spoke about Guiding Eyes, about what happens there, about how this group that was graduating had been working with their new people for about three weeks. What an amazing pairing this is – seeing eye dog to blind person – personalities mesh, trust and love are built.

When the speaker thanked all of the devoted puppy trainers, explained the unselfishness of their actions – to raise a puppy, knowing it’s not their own for this very high purpose – a little sob actually escaped me. Megan’s initial words came back to me… “Yeah, it will be hard, but just think how awesome it would be if the dog does well and makes it through the program – it will go on to really help someone who needs it.”  I really saw that that day…

The trainers who had raised the puppies hadn’t seen the dogs at all during their last intensive (approximately) six months of training, but many were there to watch the dogs graduate. As the trainers went up to be acknowledged, as Megan and Joe might do someday for Clara, they couldn’t take their eyes off of the dogs they’d raised.  When the program ended, the trainers could go up and greet the new dog owners, say hello to the dogs they’d raised, and get a picture together. The dogs remembered the trainers, each so happy to reunite – like old pals after a long separation.  One woman that the kids know has already raised eight puppies for the Guiding Eyes program. She’s presently on her ninth.

Later, we took a tour of the facility. We met some older dogs, and some puppies too.  I was glad that Megan had thought to invite us – not only is it heartwarming to witness what happened that day, but it’s also good for Todd and me to better understand what she feels so passionately about.

                         Clara on a Rhode Island beach with Megan and her Uncle Tony

We hear a lot in this world about the negative – about robberies and muggings, about mall violence and worse. But I really wanted to share this story with all of you because there are sooo many good people out there in the world, just doing what they think they should, living their lives every single day for the betterment of others. These stories really need to be told, don’t you think?

Todd and I felt privileged to have attended the ceremony, and felt proud of the work that Megan and Joe have chosen to do.

Oh, and by the way, rumors are already circulating – something about another puppy joining their foster home in February…?  Only time will tell.  J

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference.” For more information, go to her website: www.katiekolbergmemmel.com