Certain Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppies are specially named by a sponsor. Jessie, a black Labrador Retriever female is one such pup. Puppies who receive these special names write to their sponsors every quarter, to let them know what they've been up to.

Dear people who named me,

Hi! This is Jessie and I want to tell you that since my new raisers have taken me home, I have been very happy with my new life. I am doing really well and I am learning new things everyday like how to come, sit, stand, and lay down. They take me for lots of walks and when I get home, I lie in front of the water bowl with my paws on each side of it and lay my head into the water to drink and cool off.

They also have this little pool in the backyard for me to play in that they fill with water for me. They treat me well and love having me around. I love to play with their other dog Domino, who is a Lab/Boxer mix. She’s like a big sister! They have this fuzzy thing on 4 legs that wanders the house and I don’t know what it is and when I get too close to it, it meows and hisses at me so I stay away from it.

I am learning new things everyday and I can’t wait to be a guide dog someday! Well, I have to go, but I will keep in touch.

Love,

Jessie

Dear friends,

Hi! It’s me, Jessie!!! I am writing again to let you know how I am doing. Well, I am a big girl of 7 months and I am growing by leaps and bounds!!! I am eating 4 cups of food per day and I weigh about 50 lbs. I maintain my 'girlish' figure by staying active and keeping my raiser family on their toes.

You probably don’t know it but I am with a different raiser family, now. I am their sixth Guiding Eyes pup. I came to their home in early August and my new family just adores me! They tell my all the time how sweet I am and they are always petting me and wanting my attention. They can be a little annoying. ;)

I will tell you what a typical day is like for me. I wake up around 6:00 AM and my mom comes down stairs to my kennel to put my collar and leash on. I am a good girl for her and patiently sit while she puts those on me. Then she says, 'let’s go' and I come out of the kennel to greet her and say "good morning." I am very wiggly when I greet her. She feeds me my breakfast and then she takes me outside to do my ...ahem....business. (I never know quite what to call it!) The rest of the morning I follow her around and patiently lay near her while she does all her things like showering, dressing, reading, eating, and watching TV. I am a good, good girl for her because I know that if I am patient, I will get "my time" with her. Soon enough, that "time" comes and I get to go on a long walk with her. She calls it "my exercise" time. We walk in a pretty little park behind our house for about 20 minutes. Then, when we get back to our yard, we get to play fetch with a tennis ball. I LOVE to play fetch!!! It is one of my favorite games. After I am tuckered out from that, we go inside. I take a big drink and then I get a special bone to chew on. I have to have it in my kennel because when I am done chewing on it, I take a long morning nap...the thought just makes me want to...Y-A-W-N. My mom and her two daughters have school at their house the rest of the day.

By noon, I wake up and watch everyone have their lunch and recess. My dad even comes home for lunch. When they are done eating, I get to come out. First, I go outside and do my business and then I get to visit with everyone. In the afternoon, I usually get to play in the house and most days, my mom takes me out into the "world" for something she calls socialization...that’s a big word! Or, sometimes we stay home and do training where I get to learn new tricks or commands or even just practice all that I know. I can do these commands: sit, down, come, stand, here, roll over, spin and kennel. My mom says all the time how proud she is of me!!! The rest of the afternoon I am on a tie-down or go back in the kennel while they finish school. In the evening, well after dinner, I get to play some more or go on another walk. By 8:00, I am tired and want to curl up in my mom’s lap when she sits on the floor. I go outside one last time around 10:00 and then I am in the kennel for the night. I dream sweet puppy dreams and look forward to my "typical day" starting all over again.

I will write again soon.....licks and wags,

Jessie

Dear Friends,

Hello, again! Can it be 3 months since I wrote last? I am now 10 months old and I weigh 57 pounds. I am really enjoying the colder weather and I absolutely love to run and play in the snow. Playing fetch is still my favorite game in the whole world, but to play fetch out in the snow ... wow ... I love it!!!

I continue my training with my raiser. I am practicing walking comfortably on stairs of all sorts and walking near traffic ... skills I will need to have as a working dog. I am also learning a very important skill of how to ... settle ... when my raiser asks me to. If you know Labradors ... we tend to be excited and very happy, almost ALL the time, so learning to settle down and be relaxed - when asked to - will be a challenge. I think I am up for the task because I love to learn new things and I always want to please my raiser. (grin)

I have started two new activities. One is sleeping on the floor next to my raiser’s bed. Before that, I slept in my kennel overnight. If I become a guide dog for the blind, I will need to be right next to my partner’s bed at night, so I am learning to be comfortable doing that now. The other activity that I just started doing is taking short little trips into stores and buildings that have little activity going on in them. This way, I can pay attention to my raiser and perform commands while learning to be comfortable in these new environments. As I grow older and grow more confident, I will be able to go more places and experience new things. It is so exciting to be a puppy in the Guiding Eyes program. I am one lucky pup! I am loved by my raiser, I get to learn new commands and skills and someday, I will be able to help someone who needs me!

Until next time ... take care and stay warm! If you get a chance to play in the snow ... think of me!

Wags, wet kisses and puppy love,
Jessie

Dear Friends,

Hello and friendly puppy greetings from your girl, Jessie! I will soon by 17 months old and am preparing to leave my raiser family in a couple of months to go back to Guiding Eyes in New York. The time has just flown by and I can hardly believe that I will be entering a new phase of life. When I go to New York, I will go through a test called 'In-For-Training Test' and people there will determine where I will be best suited. There are other exciting careers for Guiding Eyes pups besides guiding. Arson, bomb and narcotics detection are some of the jobs we canines get to do and even the possibility to work in the Autism Program of Guiding Eyes.

In May, we welcomed another Guiding Eyes pup into our home. She is a yellow Lab and her name is Ecru. She is only 10 months old, so I have to show her how things are done around here! We have become good friends. Our favorite game we play together is tug-of-war with a rope toy. Her raiser is my family’s oldest teen daughter.

I continue to learn new skills while I am with my raiser. One skill that I am really getting good at is giving my paw when my raiser asks for it. This skill is useful for when it is time to trim my nails or even for examining my paw. Another skill I am learning is called 'get dressed'. My raiser makes a large loop out of soft leash and asks me to 'get dressed' which means I put my head through the loop. I get rewarded every time I do that. This way, if I become a guide dog, I will be comfortable putting my head into a harness. 'Over' is another skill that I have learned. When my raiser says 'over' I go into a down position and lay on one side. This skill helps me when I am at the Vet’s office for examinations or for when my raiser wants to groom or massage me.

While learning new skills is always important, learning to be comfortable in a wide variety of environments is equally important. My raiser takes me to busy places that have a lot of traffic and people nearby. Usually those places are near stores, hospitals, offices and restaurants, to name of few. Getting comfortable in those environments and being able to pay attention to my raiser will really help me when I have a full-time job of being a working dog one day. I have visited different restaurants and stores, our local library, Cleveland Hopkins Airport and even an outdoor “theater” called Blossom Music Center. I look forward to visiting many more places.

Well, I will miss writing to you. I wish you well and please think of me in the coming months as I journey to the next phase in my life.

Wet kisses, tail ways and puppy love...

Fondly,
Jessie