Rosenberry: Guide-dogs-in-training have grown

In case you missed the memo, you should know that September is National Guide Dog Month.

Normally, I don't put much stock in these seemingly random commemorative months. I mean, do we really need a National Grapefruit Month, a National Tickling Month and Lasagna Awareness Month? (Yes, they all really do exist.)

But National Guide Dog Month is different for me, because eight months ago I made a personal connection with some very friendly, very adorable guide-dogs-in-training.

I met the puppies and their raisers at Eastview Mall on New Year's Day, during one of the puppies' socialization field trips. Two weeks later I wrote a column about the experience.

Recently, I got an email from Michele Capellupo, one of the raisers I met that day, with an update on her puppy, Elora. It made me wonder how the other puppies were doing. Had they flunked out? Been put in time out? Gone to the head of the class?

Michele filled me in about a few of them.

When I met the pups, most of them had only just begun their training, which prompted me to describe them in my column as "high-energy, leash-yanking, tail-wagging Lab puppies." They've since come a long way.

Michele reported that "Elora the Explora" is doing very well. "Her self-control with garbage, cat chow, birds and squirrels has grown." Elora's sister Esme "has turned out to be a very loving pup," according to her raiser, Marci Frutkoff. "She loves to work and she loves to play."

They're both doing so well that they'll soon head to Guiding Eyes in Yorktown, Westchester County, for their In-For-Training test, kind of a college entrance exam for guide pups. There, the dogs must demonstrate their composure when faced with real-life distractions and unfamiliar handlers.

If they pass the IFT, many months of training still lie ahead, as they learn to tolerate a harness, cross streets safely, avoid obstacles and more. Only then will the puppies "graduate."

Jolee, whose picture ran with the column in January, is a success story. She graduated earlier this week, and was partnered with a sight-impaired person who lives in Hong Kong. That means Jolee might even learn Chinese.

Michele also shared an interesting story about when she and Elora recently stopped at a highway rest area.

"As we exited the women's bathroom, a young woman was entering. She screamed in fright and shrank against the wall when she saw Elora. We gave her a wide berth. … She didn't say anything, just stared wide-eyed from Elora to me and back. I softly told her that Elora is a good dog, but I'm not sure that she understood. ... It seemed that the quickest way to ease the young woman's distress was to remove Elora from the situation."

That's as good a reason as any for a National Guide Dog Month. Reactions like that make it clear that people still have a lot to learn about these beautiful, intelligent, gentle dogs.

Read more on the Our Towns East Extra Facebook page. Email Missy at dandceastextra@gmail.com with east-side news and story ideas.

FIND OUT MORE

Want to learn more about Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and how you can help out? Visit guiding-eyes-monroe.org. The organization is always looking for volunteer puppy raisers and puppy sitters. They could also use monetary donations, of course, and they're still looking for a large enough space to hold their twice-monthly puppy classes. If you can help, contact Pamela Boy at (585) 385-9617.