Certain Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppies are specially named by a sponsor. Marty, a black Labrador Retriever male 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.

May 13, 2008

Dear Friends,

Hello! I wanted to write to let you know that I am doing fine. Just a short time ago I left the Guiding Eyes for the Blind facility in New York and boarded a plane that was headed for Cleveland, Ohio. I was very excited to meet my new raiser at the airport. He is a 15-year-old named Nolan, and I love to play with him. Nolan’s family also helps with my training and the walks that I love to take. My nice, new home is situated on a couple of wooded acres. The house has plenty of room for me to have fun and play. The trees will provide plenty of shade in the summer. I love to chew the sticks and leaves that litter the yard (Nolan always makes me drop them), and am hoping that I can swim in the backyard pool this summer on hot, sticky days.

I have been learning so much since I came to Cleveland. I have almost perfected my sit, but still need some practice with lying down. Sitting at all the doors and going into my kennel on command are harder for me to learn. Exploring the nearby towns helps in my training. The traffic, grates, and stairs are sometimes frightening, but Nolan makes them fun to investigate. The work is worth all the effort because Nolan plays games with me in the backyard or in the family room when we are done.

I wanted to make sure that you knew how happy I am and how hard I am working to become a Guiding Eyes for the Blind dog. But now I am all worn out from typing, so I am going to go take a siesta on Nolan’s lap where I love to lie and lick him.

With puppy love,

Marty

August, 2008

Hello Friend,

I wanted to let you know that I am doing very well. Since I wrote to you in May, I have grown so much that I already weigh four times what I did when I came to Ohio. Everybody says, "That dog (me) is going to be big." It makes me feel like a big dog.

Nolan has been working to teach me lots of commands. I have perfected many of them, but still need work on others. Walking with a loose leash is very important, and I am doing well at it because I love to be close to Nolan. Going into my kennel on command is easy, too, since at the end of the day, I am so tired from all the work.

To help me learn the commands better, we are going to interesting places almost every day for my exposures. I have been to a few parties where it is fun to lie near Nolan and watch the people and activity. This weekend I get to go camping with Nolan and his family and I can not wait to check out all of the new smells there. All of this work is worthwhile because I get kibble and treats when I do well.

Even though I am working very hard to become a guide dog, I still like to play. One of my favorite games is Frisbee. At first, I did not know how to pick up the Frisbee from the ground, but soon I learned and ran around happily with it to show everybody. In June, Nolan took me for my first swim. I did not like it very much, but lying on the deck and watching everybody get wet is lots of fun. As the weather has gotten warmer, I have started to appreciate to how cool and refreshing the pool is.

Thank you for your support of me.

With hugs and licks,
Marty

November, 2008

Hello,

You would not believe how big I have grown!

Nolan and I go on our exposures every day and we are visiting places with more distractions. A couple of months ago, we went on a tour of the Veterans’ Memorial Bridge in downtown Cleveland. The only place we could walk was on a grate and I could see the river far below. Many people were afraid to walk on it. Like them I was hesitant at first but was soon comfortable walking along the bridge. We have been going to the mall in the morning when all the people are getting their exercise. We work our way into the mall, then I settle awhile, looking at all the walkers. Exposures are such fun.

With the arrival of autumn, the temperature is dropping and the leaves are falling from the trees. Almost every day, Nolan and I go outside to rake leaves. Well, I do not rake - I watch him rake until he is done. Then I love to play in them. The yard already looks different with the trees so bare. I have heard Nolan talking about something called snow, and I wonder if I will see some this autumn.

I have been learning more commands such as "back" and "go place" (the command for me to lie on my mat and stay). Whenever Nolan tries to teach me something new, I often can not figure out what he wants. With kibble nearby, however, I will work hard to learn anything.

Thank you for your support and your confidence in me. I hope to make you proud of me.

With puppy love,

Marty

March 9, 2009

Dear Friend and Supporter,

Puppy wags and greetings! Since I wrote to you four months ago, quite a lot has been going on in my preparation for being a guide dog. The most important change is that Nolan, my former raiser, had some other priorities, and life got too busy for him to completely care for me. His sister Brianna is now raising me. My life is not too different since Brianna has been helping Nolan all along. She expects much of me and she makes me work hard, but she is sweet, loving, and gentle, too. Having two best buddies is just fine with me!

Similarly, my behavior has improved. I better understand what is expected of me in my role as a potential guide dog. I have improved greatly in walking with a loose leash and am capable of checking-in more frequently. Commands that were once beyond my grasp of comprehension are now fully understood. It seems easier to learn commands, and I have long perfected the ones I started learning when I was younger. Knowing so many commands brings satisfaction and contentment. I am working hard to complete with precision the commands that I need to perfect. It is my high hope that within the next few months I will have no hesitation or confusion with any of the commands.

The winter months have provided new environments, challenges, and fun for me. Snow was a distraction to me at first, for I was curious about it. I worked hard learning to ignore the white dustings. As the winter progressed, the snow piled up to my belly, making it difficult for me to 'get busy' and much more difficult to perform commands or tricks in the snow. As long as I was on a sidewalk, however, I could do almost anything that was asked of me (although 'down' was uncomfortable on the cold, bare ground).

Playing in the soft, white snow has been one of my favorite pastimes. It is so exciting to jump above the snow and then plunge into it, making it spray all over. What fun! Sometimes I chased a ball or Frisbee, but it usually got too deeply buried to find. So then I would get to practice 'come' from one end of the yard to the other. All the romping certainly wore me out. The warm house, a comfy pillow, and a little nap were what I needed to be rejuvenated.

The exposures with my raisers were much different because of the snow and the cold. Sometimes the sidewalks and streets were icy and slippery. Then I had to be careful of where I walked yet still pay attention to my raiser. Occasionally, a day would be warm and the snow would begin to melt. That made places slushy and wet. Those strange, spear-like things made of ice (icicles, right?) dripped all over me and the sidewalks. All of these distractions and obstacles made the exposures different and more challenging. Since I love a challenge, they were more fun as well.

I am not sure if I told you this, but I have a brother here in the Cuyahoga region. His name is Manfred. In February he came over to visit and we had lots of fun. At first I was just so excited, curious, and bewildered that I could not settle. Soon I discovered that we could be friends and get along well. The best part of each day was playing together. There was a rope toy that we both liked, and I tugged and tugged at it, trying to get it all for myself. Whenever I got the toy I would play 'keep away' from Manfred. It would work for a while until he would grab the toy, and then we were tugging again!

On February 22nd, Manfred and I celebrated our first birthday. We wore party hats (mine is blue) for pictures and ate a puppy cupcake. I immediately popped it in my mouth whole, and was quite happy for the next few minutes. Yummy! When it was finished, I wanted another, unfortunately, there were no more.

I hope to have many more birthdays like the first. Iwill continue to work hard in the hopes that I will one day be able to assist a visually-impaired individual in the frequent and troublesome barriers of everyday living. Thank you for your support and your confidence in my ability to succeed.

Puppy licks and love,

Marty

September, 2009

Dear Friend and Supporter,

Hello again! Every time I talk to you I let you know how much I have grown - I have to because I have grown a lot. I am out of my teens and finally look like a real dog with strong muscles to impress the ladies. Brianna still thinks I am "cute", and although I object to such juvenile descriptions, someone could describe me as "handsome". Many people tell Brianna, "What a good looking dog!"

During my teens it was harder to learn and cooperate. Now that I am past this stage, I behave so much better. Brianna often tells me this and even I see the difference. I find it easier to deal with distractions on exposures. When I settle, people rarely tempt me to get up. No matter how close they pass, I see them coming and am prepared to remain "down". Then again, my love of people has not diminished, and from time to time when someone approaches to pet me, I lose my concentration and get up to say hello. Do not worry, I always try my best and will continue to practice because I want to be the best that I can be.

Recently, Brianna and I took a test to get a "jacket." The test consisted of a successful people greet, good loose-leash walking, and appropriately passing another dog who is thirty feet away. The people greet was a little tough, because I could tell that the person I was greeting had very tasty treats. I stuck with it and eventually got it right. I did much better on the loose-leash walking part of the test. I understand Brianna wants me to walk next to her and check-in with her. Just looking at her sometimes seems strange, but that is what Brianna asks of me, so I comply. Fortunately the dog did not distract me. We passed the jacket test! I now sport my hardearned jacket on exposures so that everyone knows that I am a Guiding Eyes for the Blind dog in training.

I am going to New York for my IFT test and training. While I eagerly anticipate the trip, my family here in Ohio has been great to me and I will miss them. On the other hand, I cannot escape the inevitable, and I must go and work hard to become a guide dog. I will remember my raiser family, but I know I will see great people in New York, too.

I am really happy for all my past accomplishments and adventures, and I look to new ones in the future. Thank you very much for your support, because without your generosity, I may not have accomplished so much. Yet, I am not finished and intend to go much further. The sky is the limit!

Thanks again! I will write to you from New York!

With hugs and licks,

Marty

P.S. I passed my IFT test and am in harness training!