Though each of the Magnanis keeps an eye on Cabot, Kira serves as his primary trainer. With Dunne’s help, Kira has taught him basic commands such as sit, down, stand, come and heel.
“Kira really took to training him. Cabot’s taught her a lot of responsibility and patience,” said Diane. “I think she’s good at it because she’s very calm and consistent about it. When you give commands, you have to wait and be patient. Kira has a natural connection with him.”
However, through Kira’s aid, Diane has learned the best way to grasp Cabot’s obedience.
“Everything is about cookies and treats,” she said. “It’s what he always comes to. I’ve learned to use lots of positive reinforcement when he’s sitting and being good when I’m out of the room.”
Guiding Eyes has not only helped the puppy raisers bond with their dogs, but with each other. The participants, who are spread across New Paltz, Kingston and Saugerties, have fostered relationships through their weekly meetings and common experiences.
“We’ve really bonded with the only families,” said Diane. “We’ve had a few puppy play dates. It’s great to have someone to talk to about challenges we have and get support.”
To a certain degree, Guiding Eyes is based upon community support.
Dunne was moved to pursue the position of regional manager after working with blind clients and seeing the positive influence guide dogs had on their lives. Inspired, she yearned to use her knowledge to help make a difference training puppies. As the driving force of the Ulster chapter, she now manages all puppy raisers and spearheads informational classes.
“The ideal guide dog is able to self modulate and calm themselves down in times of stress or excitement,” said Dunne. “They must also be comfortable wearing a harness, good at handling noise, confident and like working with people.”
To gauge whether a pup would make an effective guide dog, Guiding Eyes conducts temperament testing throughout the dogs’ lives. At eight weeks old, the puppies are tested for confidence, social interaction, stress levels and energy and how they handle noise. Throughout the program, Guiding Eyes keeps close watch on the dogs during evaluations, group sessions and one-on-one house visits.
When puppies reach 18 months, they undergo another round of testing, where it’s determined if they’ll continue on to harness training. According to Dunne, about 55% of Guiding Eyes dogs become service dogs, 25% pursue alternative careers in detection, the Heeling Autism Program and similar vocations other programs, while 20% are released as pets.
Guiding Eyes services blind clients across the U.S. and all over the world, including countries such as Portugal and Hong Kong. Most guide dogs are placed with a client by the time they’re two years old.
“It’s such an amazing feeling to see the puppies start off as cute balls of fur and then watch all the steps they go through to become a guide dog,” said Dunne. “The dogs give our clients confidence, independence and a constant companion — its life altering.”
The Guiding Eyes pups often have a positive influence on their adopted families as well.
“Raising Cabot has been good for our family,” said Diane. “People ask how we can have him and then give him up. I think it’ll be hard, but it’s meaningful. A lot of people are repeat trainers — we’ve met someone who’s raised eight different dogs.”
“Puppy raising is not easy, but when they see the difference their work makes, that’s why they do what they do,” said Dunne. “We wouldn’t be able to do this without them.”
Agrees Diane: “It’s been so rewarding realizing his accomplishments. Knowing that he’s a potential Guiding Eyes dog is a really cool thing. Seeing Cabot with a person and giving them independence will really bring tears to my eyes.”
Dunne hopes the Ulster County chapter will continue to thrive.
“This time next year, we hope to have ten puppies in the region and train a lot of local volunteers to build awareness,” she said.
Guiding Eyes is currently accepting applications for volunteers for its second session of puppy raising in January. Classes will be held each Monday at the Redeemer Lutheran Church in New Paltz for the first month and then meet every other week for the remainder of the program. For more information, please visit www.guidingeyes.org or contact Dunne at (845) 230-6436 or by e-mail at [email protected].
