MY TURN By Cheryl DeVine

Raising a guide dog proved my parents right We hear it all the time. Our parents try to teach us that, “Money isn’t everything.” They say: “Take time to help someone — that’s what matters.” Those lessons embody what it means to raise a guide dog for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. There’s always a trigger that gets you involved with an organization. For me it was having a friend lose her sight. She called to place her name on a list for a guide dog and was told the wait would be three years. I thought heavens, what will she do until then to get her life back on track? So, I went online and found the Guiding Eyes Web site (www.guidingeyes.org) to learn how to raise a guide dog. What I found was surprising. It takes a “raising family” 18 months to teach a puppy basic dog obedience skills. After that, the pup has six months of professional training at the Guiding Eyes’ Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Training Center. And finally, the dog is paired with his visually impaired person and trains for a further month at the Center. On average it takes two years and two months to raise one dog. But here’s the kicker, if the dog guides for a person who lives in an urban area (and many do as they often rely on public transport) that dog can guide for three to four years at best. The dogs are on pavement all day. The traffic, stairs, subways all take a toll on their legs. This means one visually impaired person can need eight to 10 dogs back-to-back just to guide them through their working years. That was it for me. I had to help. Hamilton came to me in April 2008. He grew by leaps and bounds, both physically and mentally. Regular puppy classes made the training fun and gave him lots of friends to play with. Hamilton was a joy to raise with the Guiding Eyes staff and resources just a phone call away. Many businesses in Vernon, including RJ Mars, A&P and the post office were very welcoming and allowed me to bring Hamilton in to learn how to walk in stores. He was on the streets in Vernon and on the Appalachian Trail often. Many in Warwick, N.Y., and Vernon have met Ham and seen his exuberance — always prompting the comment, “How can you give him up?” I would answer, “You can make donations to dozens of worthy organizations, but to give a person the chance to live an independent life is amazing!” Hamilton had his In-For-Training test on Aug. 25 and he passed! I have my fingers crossed he will make it the rest of the way and I will see him at his graduation in March 2010. This journey, which Hamilton and I made together, has been the most wonderful experience. My parents were right, it is the time you give to others that makes such a difference. For information on becoming a puppy raiser, call 845-878-3330 or go to www.guidingeyes.org. Cheryl DeVine lives in Warwick, N.Y.