[NAGDU] FW: [Njagdu] Giving Back: Woodcliff Lake couple trains Seeing Eye dogs

Mon Apr 4 14:11:39 UTC 2016

Here is an article from my county's newspaper about long-time Seeing Eye
puppy-raisers. I always find it interesting to hear about the raisers'
perspective.

Tracy

From: Njagdu [mailto:njagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ginger Kutsch
via Njagdu
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2016 9:46 AM
To: New Jersey Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Ginger Kutsch
Subject: [Njagdu] {Spam?} Giving Back: Woodcliff Lake couple trains Seeing
Eye dogs

Giving Back: Woodcliff Lake couple trains Seeing Eye dogs 

April 4, 2016

By KARA YORIO

The Record

http://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/gi
ving-back-woodcliff-lake-couple-trains-seeing-eye-dogs-1.1537848?page=all

Editor's note: This is the first article in a series on people from North
Jersey who are giving back to the community by volunteering their time.
These acts of kindness - often a labor of love - make a difference in the
lives of others.

It was a life-changing detour, turning a love of dogs and the desire to give
back into a nearly full-time volunteer effort.

When the Seeing Eye billboard got Roger Woodhour's attention on Route 287,
he decided to change plans and steer the car onto the exit ramp into
Morristown.

"It is 'Some day,' " the Woodcliff Lake resident told his wife Sheila more
than two decades ago.

Over the years, Sheila had talked about wanting to raise puppies for the
guide-dog organization. 

"I always said 'Some day,' " Sheila said.

There was no real reason. No connection to the blind community. No people
they knew who had done it. The Woodhours knew the opportunity existed. They
wanted to help people and enjoyed spending time with dogs. They knew they
had the time, patience and skill to train puppies - something not everyone
has. 

Veering from their route, the Woodhours were done just talking about it.
They went to the Seeing Eye offices in Morristown, their first step toward
becoming puppy raisers.

In June, it will be 25 years since a Seeing Eye representative came to the
Woodhours' door with Dorsey, their first Seeing Eye puppy. The couple, who
then had one grown son and two adult golden retrievers at home, put up a
puppy gate between the kitchen and the living room, and it hasn't come down
since. 

In early February, Zeiss, a 9-month-old German shepherd, desperately tried
to get over that gate to greet a visitor. Zeiss is the couple's 31st Seeing
Eye puppy. 

"This house revolves around dogs," said Sheila amid the toys and treats near
the sliding glass doors that overlook a deck full of balls. Nearby in the
living room, a table is filled with framed photos of past puppies. 

It's not just the house. The Woodhours' lives revolve around dogs, and have
for decades. They train puppies that arrive only a couple of months old.
Puppies with razor-sharp teeth that try to chew shoes, fingers, furniture
and wires, whatever they can get their mouths on. Puppies that require
commitment, time and attention. 

Puppy raisers typically have to be home as much as possible, either a
stay-at-home parent or someone who is retired, working from home or with a
job that allows the dog to come with them.

Like babies, puppies are up during the night to go to the bathroom, be
comforted or wanting to play. The puppy's schedule becomes the people's
schedule.

And the Woodhours can't and don't walk out the door and leave the dogs
behind, either. They take them with them on their daily routine as part of
the exposure training necessary for future guide dogs. They go on outings
specifically planned to help the dog in busy, chaotic places. They also
attend the Bergen County Seeing Eye Puppy Club meetings twice a month. (Any
wannabe puppy raisers must attend meetings to learn what it requires before
applying to get a dog; Seeing Eye pays for veterinarian care and food.)

"Roger and Sheila, they're very involved, and have more of a mentor role,"
said Carol Krajewski of Mahwah, whose family is currently training their
18th Seeing Eye puppy. "We'll see a lot of the new families come in [to
puppy meetings] and they'll be talking to Roger and Sheila about something.
. It's very good to have the veterans. They're the stability of the
program."

It is not an exaggeration to say the Woodhours have changed many lives for
the better with their volunteer work. Thirteen of their puppies have become
guide dogs. Three did not make the guide-dog program for health or
temperament reasons but were placed in other careers, such as law
enforcement. Ten went to families from the Seeing Eye adoption program,
which adopts out the dogs that attempt the training but are found incapable
of handling the career. They adopted four themselves, including their
current dog, Luke. Turning 11 in April, the large German shepherd has been
the big brother and mentor of many puppies over the years, passing along
what the Woodhours taught him years ago.

"Luke is the best nanny," Sheila said. "He sets the tone. Zeiss learns by
example. We've seen it with every single puppy." 

Add in the Woodhours' advocacy for the organization as well as their role in
the Bergen County Seeing Eye puppy club and it's difficult to truly get a
count on the number of people they have affected with their commitment. 

Krajewski laughs when she thinks about the energetic Zeiss, but says that
when out in public, he is incredible: calm, focused and friendly.

"You can see how much they work with the dog," she said. "They put a lot of
time and love into it. That's the important part, the love."

That can also be the most difficult part. When Dorsey was picked up to
return to the Seeing Eye for months of guide-dog training, Sheila cried. She
cried for months, she said. She still cries when a dog leaves, but not as
long anymore. Over time, the husband and wife have been able to put their
sadness in perspective.

"We realized that, you know what, we loved the dog, we've taken care of the
dog, but there's somebody who needs the dog and loves the dog," Sheila said.
"We don't need the dog."

Repeat that enough, she said, and the tears don't last as long. 

"We're foster parents, that's what we are," Roger said.

The dogs typically stay about a year before returning to the Seeing Eye.

"Just when they get really good, they call and say they're picking them up,"
Sheila added.

Then the dogs are gone, off to complete four to five months of guide-dog
training. If they pass the training and tests, they are matched with a blind
or visually impaired person. Puppy raisers don't get to meet that person or
communicate directly with them. For privacy purposes, according to the
Seeing Eye, puppy raisers are only told in general terms where the puppy
goes - to a male lawyer in Boston, for example. If the new dog owner or
puppy raisers want to send a note to the other, they must do it through
Seeing Eye.

It is difficult to never see these dogs again, but for the longtime Bergen
County residents, another dog is always on the way. Sometimes, according to
Sheila, one has been picked up in the morning and a new puppy will arrive
that afternoon. There's no time to miss the dog that's gone when a needy,
energetic puppy is taking over the house and the Woodhours start their
well-honed system all over again.

Seeing Eye puppy raisers must follow Seeing Eye guidelines - the dogs can't
get on the furniture and can't sleep in bed, for example. They love the dogs
but can't stray from the rules, because giving in every now and then and
allowing some time on the couch or jumping up on guests creates confusion
for the dog and could compromise its future as a guide dog.

Puppy raisers must also teach the dogs basic obedience and good household
manners and train them to go to the bathroom outside on command. As foster
parents, the Woodhours thrive on a structure in the apparent canine chaos.

"I remember years ago, this was maybe 2000, I watched one of Sheila's dogs,"
Krajewski said. "She had such a list - 'The puppy eats at this time, takes a
nap at this time.' It's such dedication on their part."

Roger is the walker, recently topping 11,000 miles logged. He also handles
many of the very important outside exposures. As with past puppies, he takes
Zeiss to church, the library, stores and restaurants regularly. The two were
recently on a puppy club outing to the Liberty Science Center, where the
sometimes rambunctious Zeiss showed his guide-dog pedigree.

"There were six or seven kids converging on him," Roger said. "He just sits
there loving every minute of it."

Going to places like the science center or airport allows the dog to
experience different environments, sounds, textures under his paws, etc.

"By the time the dog comes back to us to learn his job, he's already very
comfortable in the world he needs to do it in," said Peggy Gibbons, director
of canine development for Seeing Eye. "That makes it so much easier for the
dog and for us, that you're not exposing them to things in the environment
at the same time that you're teaching them their jobs.

"You need people who are willing and ready to put in the time to do all
that."

The Woodhours have shown that commitment year after year and gone beyond it
as well.

After one of their puppies, Dusty, was attacked by another dog in 2010 -
injuring Dusty and Roger - Roger worked for years for legislation to protect
the dogs and their partners. It was signed into law in 2014. Now, if a guide
dog is found to have been recklessly killed by another canine, the attacking
pet's owner could face jail time of up to 18 months and a fine of up to
$10,000. Those found to have recklessly injured a guide dog face six months
in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Owners could also be forced to pay for
expenses related to the attack.

With that accomplished, Roger is now working with Seeing Eye on an awareness
campaign, trying to explain to the public why they can't interfere with
working dogs and must keep their dogs away.

The Woodhours also volunteer in other ways for the organization, regularly
going to help when blind and visually impaired people are in training with
their dogs. As long as one of the puppies they raised is not there, Roger
and Sheila go to Morristown to help however they can as the students take
the dogs out in town. 

"We get the benefit of seeing what the dogs mean to the blind person," Roger
said. "It makes you feel like you've contributed in some very small way."

What they see in these moments is what keeps them going, puppy after puppy.

"We've had the privilege of working with the graduates," Sheila said. "We
see them after they've had the dogs for about a week. When you see the bond,
what these dogs mean to their life."

Sheila paused and apologized as she fought off tears. 

"That's why you do it."

Email: yoriok at northjersey.com

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