[NAGDU] Seeing Eye

[Vanessa Lowery]

Joan retires at the end of this year, and even though Lucas has retired, he still hangs about there because he is married to a lot of the special projects having to do with traffic, intersections, and equipment for our dogs. Can't get rid of the man. I had Joan as my instructor in 2004 when I trained with my fifth dog, a male black lab named Griffin who was Hand picked for me by Pete Lang.

Vanessa and the zoo  
Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 14, 2024, at 2:49 AM, Suzette May via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I went to The Seeing Eye in September/October of 2022 for my guide, a
> large, long, male Sable German Shepherd named Boden.  I had Lukas Franck as
> my instructor and Joan Markey was our class manager.  Anyone remember the
> high school route? Well, Lukas was quite fond of that one and I think I did
> that beast about 3 or 4 times. They haven't had that as a route for years
> but we did it.  I think that thing was uphill both ways.  It sure felt like
> it.
> 
> As far as retirements go,  I know Lukas retired at the end of September.
> Lee Johnson retired earlier in 2023, I think. I was sad to hear Jeff
> McMullen retired. Joan Markey started at The Seeing Eye within a few years
> of Lukas so that might happen in a year or two.
> 
> Nice to see all the different schools on here.  It's interesting hearing
> everyones stories.
> 
> *Suzette May*
> *PS139.13 at gmail.com <PS139.13 at gmail.com>*
> *512-564-0152*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Wed, Mar 13, 2024 at 1:00 PM Julie A. Orozco via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi everyone,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Thank you for all the comments about Seeing Eye. It is great to know I will
>> have an excellent class manager who will answer questions and listen to
>> concerns. I'll tell a little more of my story below in case more
>> reassurances are forth coming.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I retired my second dog in the fall of 2021 shortly before my daughter was
>> born. I did not complete the application process for my third dog for a
>> while after that because well, motherhood. So I haven't worked a dog in
>> almost 2 and a half years, which is the longest I've gone without the
>> harness in my hand since 2008. I only had to wait like 5 months between my
>> first and second dogs.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> My life has changed completely in the last several years. I am a mom of a
>> toddler now, and I feel like I need a unicorn of a dog. I live outside of
>> Washington DC and take the metro a lot, walk a ton, and definitely deal
>> with
>> plenty of chaos and crowds. But I need a dog that will be gentle and
>> forgiving of my toddler and tolerant of young children in general, since it
>> looks like we'll be taking her to day care on a daily basis.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I am so nervous. Not only do I feel like I'm looking for a dog that might
>> not exist, but I also fear a mismatch. I know everyone has them, but I
>> haven't had one yet. My first two dogs were great matches, and my second
>> dog
>> in particular was an amazing worker and could pretty much read my mind. So,
>> I'm not sure I can get that level of awesome in a dog again. The Seeing Eye
>> is a new school for me, and although I've seen great dogs come out of
>> there,
>> I'm still nervous. I will be spending three weeks away from my family to do
>> this, and I want that time to count.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> There is truly nothing like working a dog though. Even with the rideshare
>> denials and the airline forms, I have to do it. I have to try and do my
>> best
>> to make it work. I do plan on asking lots of questions when I'm there, and
>> I'm not shy. So hopefully that will help.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I'm so glad there are so many happy Seeing Eye graduates on this list.
>> Hearing about your experiences is definitely helping. So thank you, and
>> thanks for reading.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Julie
>> 
>> Julie A. Orozco J.D.
>> 
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