Finally!

The time has finally arrived! After almost two years of waiting, I am finally getting a guide dog that I will raise from beginning to end.

For those who are unfamiliar with the program, I volunteer for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a non-profit organization based in Yorktown Heights, NY, and Patterson, NY, that provides guide dogs to blind men and women. As a puppy raiser, I will raise a puppy for approximately 14 months, providing the puppy with the love, socialization, and basic obedience it will need to succeed in guide dog training. I began this journey in 2007, but due to a not so dog friendly apartment and a variety of other unforeseen issues, I had to put everything on hold until now.

Meet Frito - a yellow labrador retriever born on June 4, 2009, to her beautiful parents, Diva (a black lab) and Yuri (a yellow lab).


She has been in limbo the past several weeks, traveling between a number of different puppy sitters, but on September 8, 2009, I will assume full responsibility of raising her. I am beyond excited to start this journey with her and watch as we both learn and grow from each other.