It wasn’t Santa’s reindeer that visited Camino Grove Elementary School Friday, Dec. 9, but four-legged creatures of another variety – four adorable pups-in-training, representing Guide Dogs of America (GDA).
Left-to-right: Claudia Wong; GDA spokesperson, Mary Monroe; Alan Lee; Shyanne Zeng; GDA puppy raiser, Sheilah Treston with pup-in-training, “Walter”; GDA puppy raiser, Diana Snyder (standing); GDA puppy raiser, Lori Delgado with pup-in-training, “Hurley”; Nathan Buehner; Zachary Ho; pup-in-training, “Duff”; Ella Hokanson with pup-in-training, “Oswald”; Ryan Marks; and GDA puppy raiser, Carol Jarvis.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – by Helen Simmons Conroy – – – – – – – – – – – – -Accompanied by their puppy raisers, and GDA spokesperso Mary Monroe, the furry canines lay like mellow jazz players on the floor of the school auditorium as Monroe presented students with information on the guide dog program. Students had been provided with educational materials by GDA prior to the visit, tying guide dog awareness in with two pieces of core literature that 4th graders read about people with blindness.
As Monroe highlighted the life-changing services that GDA provides free of charge to people with disabilities, students listened attentively. Occasionally, the pups stole the show — when one decided to stretch out on its back to take a snooze and another made a low, whimpering cry, as if to say, “Why am I up on this stage, when I could be outside sniffing trees?”
Camino Grove 4th graders present GDA puppy raisers and pups-in-training with donations for the puppies and adult guide dogs in advanced training that reside at the Sylmar facility.
Monroe described her role as a puppy raiser, training pups from the time they are seven-to-eight weeks old until they are a year-and-a-half. To illustrate the challenges involved in training, Monroe asked students to raise their hands if they owned a dog. She then asked students to keep their hands raised if their dog could handle being at Disneyland, refrain from nibbling on popcorn strewn on the floor at a movie theatre, and refuse to move (use “intelligent disobedience”) in order to prevent their owner from coming into harm’s way. Hands slowly went down as each added challenge was stated. Guide dog etiquette came next: never distract a guide dog in training or working guide dog; talk to the blind person, not the dog; and always ask permission to pet a guide dog. When addressing the difficulty of having to say goodbye to these pups as a puppy raiser, once they move on to the Sylmar facility for advanced training, Monroe stated, “When you think about the purpose of it, it makes it so worth it. It’s a way to give back, to change their lives (people with blindness).” She explained to students that with a guide dog by their side, people with blindness are no longer afraid to go out into the world. “They are always so grateful that we do this,” Monroe beamed.
Next, Monroe talked about the Guide Dogs of America Training Center in Sylmar: its intensive training program; free tours; and need for puppy raisers. She concluded by encouraging all students to talk to their parents about the possibility of being puppy raisers. Students then presented Monroe with an early Christmas present for GDA: donations of blankets, towels, and durable dog toys, for the puppies and adult guide dogs in advanced training that reside at the Sylmar facility.
As 4th graders were dismissed, the pups-in-training trotted off like Santa’s reindeer, having played a crucial role in spreading awareness about their noble cause. If and when these pups graduate from the program (only 40% make the cut), they’ll be giving someone a pretty impressive gift, even by Santa’s standards, acting as eyes for someone who can’t see — opening up their world, with a better quality of life.