Shari Nederhoff has a Labrador retriever named Neutron. Neutron goes everywhere Shari does. You can tell that Shari is very attached to the dog. But she'll be giving him away in 10 months.
Shari trains guide dogs for Lone Star Puppy Raisers, an affiliate of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Trainer families take puppies they think will make good guides, and they keep them for a year. They teach them basic commands and how to behave in public. Shari says it takes twice as long to run any errand, because as she runs her errands, she's also training the dog.
Donna Wright also trains the dogs. She has raised 15 of them. She says it's like having perpetual toddlers. Morgan Watkins is a beneficiary of the giving spirit people like Shari and Donna put into practice. He has been a guide dog user since 1995. He is the acting chief executive officer of Guide Dogs for the Blind. He says, "Puppy raisers are some of the most giving people. They take the puppy into their home and may not see it again. It could go to Saskatchewan or Florida or Maine."
So a great big Essie May salute goes out to these dog heroes and the human heroes who love and teach them!
"For puppies, tough love." The Dallas Morning News; January 5, 2011; p. 1B.
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What an awesome service they provide...the dogs and the trainers. I can't imagine how hard it must be for them to turn over that bundle of fur at the end of the training period.
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