Xielo Finds His Forever Partner

The nine-month old yellow Labrador retriever named Klein, mentioned here , has gone back to The Seeing Eye for formal training. He returned to the Seeing Eye campus on August 3rd, 2012 and has recently had his Town Walk on January 27th, 2013 (A “Town Walk” is a 45-minute walk around the heart of Morristown where he puppy raiser observes the puppy’s newly acquired Seeing Eye dog skills. This symbolically serves as his graduation from training).  Currently, Klein is working hard toward being matched to his “forever friend” to whom he will devote his entire life to provide independence and dignity in every possible aspect.

Xielo also passed his formal training on December 9th, 2011 and has been through a series of attempts to match him with his “forever friend”.  On March 4, 2013 my family received two letters (pictured to your right) that stated that he had been successfully matched and is happily working in Tennessee with occasional visits to Canada.   

When a Seeing Eye puppy arrives at the campus at around the age of 14-16 months, they undergo a period of observation of about month. During this time, they are segregated based on whether they are to be placed into the prestigious breeding program at The Seeing Eye that is based on variety of observations or are to participate in formal training.  If they are to be placed into the formal training section, they first must pass a medical exam as well as an obedience exam. The medical exam is based on the overall health of the dog and tends to be quite rigorous. The obedience exam is based upon many aspects such their proficiency of basic commands such as sit, rest (stay), down, and come. After the dog passes each exam, they are assigned an instructor and began formal training.  If at any time during a puppy’s training he or she is not deemed fit for guide work, they are considered “failures” and the puppy raising family has the first option of taking the dog back into their home.  After formal training, each Seeing Eye family has the option of participating in their puppy’s Town Walk. Hopefully after the completion of formal training, the dog will be matched with his “forever friend” and undergo further training to bond with his new master.

Recently, my family has received the new addition of Gilligan, a now five-month old yellow Labrador retriever. He was placed into our home on December 20th, 2012 and has become an integral part of our daily lives.