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Browsing articles in work of dogs
Blog: Guest Posts
Harper’s backup plan
What happens to a Seeing Eye dog if their human companion gets hurt, or sick? Do they lose their skills while waiting for the person to recover? That’s one question I hoped I’d never have to answer. But then last month I broke my foot.
I swim laps two or three times each week. Tapping the lane marker with every other stroke keeps me swimming straight, and limiting myself to the crawl stroke...
Blog: Guest Posts
And loving up first graders
Caleb has officially reached the halfway-point of his puppy-raising year; today he’s 9 months old! We took another plane ride this month; in fact, we took a few. Caleb even bravely managed an early morning flight, which sets back mealtime by an hour—a lifetime to a Labrador.
I left the Alex in charge for a week, while I rode my bike 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles as a participant...
Blog: Guest Posts
Caleb’s first fundraiser
Our little dude is growing up so fast; we’ve completely lost all semblance of a puppy around our house except during playtime. He’s come to be known by one of his many nicknames, “Little Goat,” as he loves to jump straight in the air and race around the track he’s created in the yard, kicking up his heels and burning off steam.
Caleb is almost eight months old now, which means he’s about...
Blog: Guest Posts
Nominate a deserving pup
Every day you tell us stories about the generosity, courage and loyalty of your canine companions, so I know there are more than a few Hero Dogs out there in the Bark community. Well, heads up: There are only eight days left to nominate a deserving pup for the American Humane Association’s Hero Dog Awards.
The idea of the contest is to celebrate the canine-human bond and to acknowledge dogs’...
Blog: Guest Posts
Deploying a clicker and treats to help a hesitant guide dog
Five months ago (has it been that long already?) I returned with my new dog from the Seeing Eye School in Morristown to piles of snow here in Chicago.
Poor Harper had never trained in snow. Was that why he was cowering on our walks to the Loop now? Does he miss the snow? Or maybe it’s a delayed reaction to the van that turned right in front of us. The driver didn’t see us crossing, she said....
Dog's Life: Work of Dogs
Guiding Miss Ellie
It was a few years into my post-corporate, stay-at-home freelance life that I had the brainstorm. Feeling lonely and useless, I had been driving my husband, Andy, nuts. My life felt small. And the smaller it felt, the more impossible I became. Disgusted by my self-loathing, and sick of taking it out on the one guy I loved, I realized that it was time to pull myself together and focus my energy...
Blog: Guest Posts
A challenging and rewarding career
Earlier this month, my Seeing Eye dog Harper and I gave a guest lecture to an animal sciences class at the University of Illinois. I told the students what it’s been like transitioning to a new Seeing Eye dog, and I went over some of the qualifications necessary to become a Seeing Eye trainer/instructor.
Trainers at the Seeing Eye need to have a college degree, and then they can apply for an...
Blog: Guest Posts
Caleb’s first plane trip, photo shoot and evaluation
Last week was a big development week for Caleb. He took his first plane trip, met our delightful friend and photographer Amanda Jones (video below), explored San Francisco, and had his six-month evaluation with our field representative from Guide Dogs for the Blind.
While in theory it would be great to have our dogs always travel with us, I can tell you from years of experience it’s not as easy...
Blog: Guest Posts
Rutgers students volunteer with future Seeing Eye dogs
I’ve been home three months with my new Seeing Eye dog Harper. He’s a two-year-old yellow bundle of Labrador energy, and not a day goes by where I don’t think of—and thank—the wonderful volunteer who raised him as a puppy. Harper and I trained for three weeks at the Seeing Eye last December. Before we left for home, our instructor read me Harper’s “puppy profile.” Each person who volunteers to...
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