Southeastern Guide Dogs opens its campus five days a week for volunteer puppy huggers and dog walkers, but this Saturday, May 12, is a great opportunity to learn all about Southeastern and their superb dogs because it is open house. How is open house different from any other time you can come to the Palmetto campus? There are a number of activities happening this Saturday that don’t normally occur. Volunteers will be leading guided tours, filling guests in on the history and inner workings of Southeastern.  While readers of this column have gotten an inside look at what Southeastern does, the…

We all have had unintended consequences, like supporting the Girl Scouts by buying four boxes of cookies, and then having to amp up your workouts to get rid of the pounds they added to your thighs.  Well, here’s the story of other unintended consequences brought about by treats. Puppy raisers know not to make their dogs sit at curbs while waiting to cross the street. This creates a bad habit that trainers have to break when we get the dogs in for guide dog training. So, I couldn't figure out why I had a whole string of dogs sitting at curbs. After a few days of puzzling over this, and …

Over the past couple of weeks, we have introduced you to some of the departments at Southeastern Guide Dogs. Last week we talked about the Medical Team and all they do to keep our dogs in tip-top shape; Buildings and Grounds who keep our campus beautiful and welcoming; and we learned a bit about the roles of our Director of Training and Apprentice Trainer Manager.  Now we are going to take a peek at what the folks up in the Administration building do all day. Visitors who come up to Administration along with students arriving for training always receive a cheerful greeting from our …

Last week we introduced you to some of the departments at Southeastern Guide Dogs. We talked about the folks in the Genetics and Reproduction Department and their effect on creating the highest quality guide dogs; the Puppy Kennel staff and their enviable job of taking care of adorable puppies all day long; Puppy Raising Services and their task of finding and coordinating puppy raisers for all the adorable puppies and finally the staff in the Receiving and Training Kennels who care for the guide dogs-in-training when they return to campus. There’s another group of individuals who have a …

It’s funny, whenever I tell someone I work for Southeastern Guide Dogs, they immediately ask if I am a trainer.  Clearly they must not know my personal dogs if they think I could make a living training dogs. Well, I am here to say that training guide dogs is not the only way to have a career with Southeastern Guide Dogs.  There are many people who work behind the scenes to produce world class guide dogs. Let’s start at the beginning with our Genetics and Reproduction Department.  Our Breeding Manager and Technician are responsible for ensuring that we have the highest quality dogs to train as…

Before I started working at Southeastern Guide Dogs, I was under the assumption that if I was blind, and told my guide dog that I wanted to go to the library, he would just take me there and I would follow along. Well, that’s not the case. Apparently, I would have to have enough “orientation and mobility” skills to get myself there without the help of the dog. Orientation and mobility is the way someone understands their place in their environment and how to move about within that environment either using other mobility aids such as a cane or a sighted guide. Why are these skills important? …

Certified trainer Karen Mersereau explains the thought process behind Puppy Camp and why it is so important during training.  For the puppy raisers out there, you may recognize this piece as it was originally posted on the Blue Coat Journal in May 2011. Sometimes I think the second most feared phrase in puppy raising after “time for IFT” (in-for-training – when the dogs come back to campus for formal harness training) is “time for puppy camp.” I can understand this. You like this dog. You just got them somewhat under control and singing off the same page with you (or at least out of the same …

Frank Obremski, born with congenital retinitis pigmentosa, has been legally blind since birth and ten years ago became totally blind.  But that didn’t stop him from making a lasting impression on the moon.  You see, Frank was a vendor at the Kennedy Space Center for 42 years and while there, he was able to “have a look” at the lunar space rover by giving it a once-over with his hands before it was sent up to check out the moon. Frank came to Southeastern Guide Dogs for his third guide.  Upon arriving, he was paired with a petite black Labrador named Berniece, but lovingly called Niecey with …

With Spring Break come big crowds for Puppy Hugging and Dog Walking on Southeastern Guide Dogs’ campus. Southeastern is the only guide dog school that opens its campus five days a week to the general public to enlist their help in socializing the puppies and exercising the dogs-in-training and people come in carloads to the picturesque campus. While this socialization and exercise is very important, there are also other ways the whole family can get involved with Southeastern Guide Dogs. One major way would be to become puppy raisers.  These selfless folks bring a cuddly bundle of puppy …

It was a gorgeous day March 3 down by the waterfront in St. Petersburg when people gathered for the 26th Annual Southeastern Guide Dogs Walkathon. The site was laid out with a variety of activities for the whole family – there were three giant bounce houses/slides for the kids, food trucks with delicious fare, dog massage, and a giant tent that housed both of Southeastern’s gift shops. By dinner the day got even better with volunteer awards and a big surprise for Southeastern Guide Dogs. The walk was led by Petey, the First Pup of St. Petersburg, and Miss St. Pete.  The line of walkers seemed…

Saturday, March 3 is the 26th Annual Southeastern Guide Dogs Walkathon.  While the walk participants likely just spend a little bit of time getting ready to walk, at Southeastern we have been planning this event for the past year.  Here’s a snapshot at what all goes into getting ready for Walkathon. Number of Southeastern Guide Dogs Staff at the walk: 68 Number of Volunteers at the walk: 170 Number of trained dogs for blindfold walks: 20 Number of Fundraisers: 1,986 Number of Fundraisers who created sitstaygive.org pages: 246 Number of Tents: 8 Length of walk: 3K Number of food trucks: 3 …

The 26th Annual Southeastern Guide Dogs Walkathon is set for March 3. Walkathon is Southeastern’s biggest fundraiser and this year looks like it will surpass all the previous years with record attendance expected.  “We outgrew our previous locations, so this year we are moving the walk to St. Pete’s Vinoy Park,” said Stacey Price, Special Events Manager, “and the city of St. Petersburg has welcomed us with open arms.”  The new location has allowed Southeastern to expand the activities of the day to include something for the whole family. This year’s Walkathon is shaping up to be a fun-filled …

I’ve mentioned my Schnauzers a couple of times before. Freud is very friendly and loves people – so much so that if he sees someone approaching he will sit down, and refuse to move until he has been greeted. However, he has had a couple of bad experiences with bigger dogs and is now a bit leery. Anna is super-lovable at home, but when she is out walking, she is very skittish around other dogs and apt to be very protective if approached. Last week while we were out on our daily two mile walk, we saw a man and his obviously young, large golden retriever heading in our direction. I moved my pair…

Gabrielle Lozano, 22, has been blind since she was a three-year-old from the effects of a tumor on her optic nerve. But this hasn’t stopped her from reaching for her dreams, and now a wonderful black Lab named Jock is here to help her reach even farther. Before meeting her new guide dog, Gabrielle has experienced a bit of local fame. Google her name and you’ll discover that she inspired many by graduating from Manatee Technical Institute with a culinary arts degree. Today, Gabrielle is making plans to open her own catering business, aptly named Blind Ambitions. She knows her way around a …

While it may have taken my sweetheart of a Schnauzer, Freud, two years to learn “sit,” such is not the case for guide dogs-in-training.  By the time they are two years old, they have learned more than 40 commands. These guide dog commands can be roughly broken down into three different categories; obedience commands; directional commands; and “find the” commands. The obedience commands are the starting point for the pups and they begin right from the start at Southeastern Guide Dogs. The puppies all take part in Early Puppy Socialization where they are introduced to the collar, leash, puppy …

It takes somewhere in the neighborhood of 368 people to breed, whelp, raise and train a guide dog for Southeastern Guide Dogs.  Wonder how they do it?  Well, it is all thanks to the support of a group of very loyal volunteers.  Puppy Raisers give of themselves tirelessly for more than a year so that these wonderful dogs may one day be provided to a visually impaired individual all at no charge.  But, those aren’t the only volunteers who play an integral part in Southeastern’s mission.  Here is a snapshot of the different volunteer opportunities available at Southeastern Guide Dogs. Breeder …

Could you take ownership of a cute cuddly 10-week-old puppy, love and train it for more than a year, spend practically every moment with that dog showing it the wide world around you and then just when it is starting to shake off the puppy playfulness, give it back?  That is what happens nearly 200 times a year at Southeastern Guide Dogs.  Volunteer Puppy Raisers are responsible for giving Southeastern’s guide dogs the solid base on which a world class dog grows. But they don’t always start off at Southeastern as Puppy Raisers, sometimes they get eased into the position.  Shay Doerner and her…

Every year Southeastern Guide Dogs’ Walkathon draws supporters from all over the country.  Some are volunteers, some graduates, some sponsors and others just want to get out and walk with their best friend. This year’s Walkathon looks to bring the biggest crowd yet with the location being shifted to St. Petersburg’s Vinoy Park.  The gorgeous location along with a street fair vibe complete with food vendors and fun things for the whole family are sure to bring crowds in droves. What makes Walkathon different from all other charity walks?  It’s dog-friendly, of course!  Not only are dogs …

As an air traffic controller, Philip Jones was used to being in control, after all, it’s part of the title.  So when Macular Degeneration took his sight 2 ½ years ago, Philip did what he could to continue to be independent.  At the Lighthouse for the Blind and the Veteran’s Administration in West Palm Beach he learned the independent living skills needed to get by as a visually impaired person and he also learned about guide dogs.  After researching a few schools Philip made the decision to come to Southeastern Guide Dogs because he knew he wanted a dog that had been raised in the south. He …

Let’s tackle the big issue first: Is it okay to pet a guide dog?  Answer: It's OK to pet a guide dog, only if the handler has given you permission. There may be times when it looks as if the dog is resting or the handler isn’t being guided, but in actuality, whenever the dog is in harness, it is working.  There are some handlers who don’t want their dogs petted, so if you have your request declined, don’t feel bad, just smile and admire the dog from afar. Then there’s the issue of petting our adorable puppies-in-training – is that OK?  If you have gotten permission from the Puppy Raiser, sure…