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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Giving Back: Woodcliff Lake couple trains Seeing Eye dogs <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>April 4, 2016<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>By KARA YORIO<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Record<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>http://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/giving-back-woodcliff-lake-couple-trains-seeing-eye-dogs-1.1537848?page=all<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It was a life-changing detour, turning a love of dogs and the desire to give back into a nearly full-time volunteer effort.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"It is 'Some day,' " the Woodcliff Lake resident told his wife Sheila more than two decades ago.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Over the years, Sheila had talked about wanting to raise puppies for the guide-dog organization. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"I always said 'Some day,' " Sheila said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"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."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"Luke is the best nanny," Sheila said. "He sets the tone. Zeiss learns by example. We've seen it with every single puppy." <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Krajewski laughs when she thinks about the energetic Zeiss, but says that when out in public, he is incredible: calm, focused and friendly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"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."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"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."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Repeat that enough, she said, and the tears don't last as long. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"We're foster parents, that's what we are," Roger said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The dogs typically stay about a year before returning to the Seeing Eye.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"Just when they get really good, they call and say they're picking them up," Sheila added.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"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."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"There were six or seven kids converging on him," Roger said. "He just sits there loving every minute of it."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Going to places like the science center or airport allows the dog to experience different environments, sounds, textures under his paws, etc.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"You need people who are willing and ready to put in the time to do all that."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Woodhours have shown that commitment year after year and gone beyond it as well.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"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."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>What they see in these moments is what keeps them going, puppy after puppy.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"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."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sheila paused and apologized as she fought off tears. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"That's why you do it."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Email: yoriok@northjersey.com<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>