Certain Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppies are specially named by a sponsor. Schaffner, a yellow 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. These are Schaffner's letters.

Hi Folks,

My name is Schaffner and I am a 10-week-old, 14 pound yellow lab with a sweet disposition and an inquisitive mind. I recently moved to a place called Strongsville in Northeast Ohio. I live with a very nice couple who have a 13-month-old male yellow lab. My Mom stays home with me and my brother Darby. Darby is so nice to me; he lets me play with all his toys. We have a great time together.

I really like it here, they have a swimming pool just for me and my brother to use, a big fenced in backyard for us to run around in, and a lot of neat things to do. When we're not playing I'm working on my vocabulary. So far I know sit, down and get busy (for when I need to go out). My mom must think I'm very slow, because she continues to do these commands over & over. One of my favorite words is 'are you hungry?' And of course I am, I'm a lab!

I'm getting to know our neighborhood and the neighbors. They are very nice to me, and they think I'm a real cutie. I also get together with some of my friends from Guiding Eyes. I see them every couple of weeks and we show each other what we've learned to do so far.

I am happy that you are taking such an interest in me, and I'll try to keep you informed on my training.

Your pal,
Schaffner

Hi Guys,

It seems like this summer has flown by! There were so many things to see and do that we named it "Schaffners Excellent Summer Adventure."

I went to the dentist to watch my human dad have his teeth cleaned. Mom and I sat on the floor and the dentist showed me all his neat tools. I especially liked the drill and the one that squirts water. My mom took me to the barber & beauty shops to see where humans get groomed. They sure did have a lot of good smells, and they have these chairs that go up and down just like the dentist had.

In July we went to visit Presley's aunt's farm. She has goats, horses, ducks, kittens, and a rooster. Some of the animals were very friendly, some indifferent and others just wanted to be left alone. I liked it a lot! I've begun puppy basic training; mom thinks I'm doing quite well and that I'm the smartest pup in the class. I already know how to do most of the commands because we've done them before.

I also visited with a lady that has a small toddler. She was real cute, and I liked to smell her. They live near a small lake with a beach and I went in the water and jumped around (with a lead on of course), and had a great old time.

My dad's work had a company picnic and I got to meet a lot of his friends. I was very good, and got to watch a lot of different games. A couple of weeks ago there were bag-pipers practicing in the ballpark across the street from our house. Mom and I went over to listen to them, but I'm not sure I care for them.

While my humans went on vacation, I did too! I went to stay in Buffalo, NY about a 4-hour drive from my house. I stayed with a puppy raiser named Mary Ellen and she worked with me just like my mom does. She had a lot of different things to do while I was there, so I kept very busy.

I hope you had a great summer too. Will write again at Christmas.

Love,
Schaffner

Hi,

Since I last wrote to you, my mom got me a big boy bed. It's really cool! I get to sleep at the foot of their bed, and when I wake up in the morning I get up and lick their faces and wag my tail non-stop until they get up.

We've been real busy walking and training at strip malls and busy streets. I also got to go to church one day, when no one was there, to practice praying. On another afternoon they blessed all the animals that showed up.. cats, dogs, ferrets and even birds.

I've had two puppy exchanges and had a great time staying with both families. The one family had more dogs in their house than I have at home, but it was okay.. they all liked me. I graduated my PetSmart classes as you can see in the pictures. It was a lot of fun meeting the other dogs and training with them. My mom took me voting with her on election day, and everyone said how good I was (and cute!)

My mom's daughter-in-law, granddaughter and grand-dog came to live with us. Mom & Dad's son is in the Air Force and was supposed to get out in October, but was unable to leave due to 9-11. They already sold their home in Arizona, so they came here to live until he can join them. Anyway, I like the new dog and the grandbaby and I'm very well behaved with them. I never touch the baby toys, and there sure are a lot of them! My mom is really pleased with me and my brother.

I've had a problem with my leg, I don't know how I did it, but now I'm in my crate ALL THE TIME! I can only leave it when I have to get busy or eat. It's such a bummer, but I think it's getting better. I can't wait to get out and start training and socializing again.

I hope you have a nice Christmas and I really hope Santa will be good to me.

Love,
Schaffner

Hi,

It doesn't seem possible that it's time again for me to do another letter. I have been kept very busy going to different places and doing new things.

Santa Claws was very good to me, it being my first Christmas and all. I got a lot of new bones and toys, but Darby and I kept playing with each other's gifts. The grandbaby also got a lot of neat toys, but she doesn't share and we weren't allowed to play with them anyway.

I have been going to church every Saturday evening and have been very, very good (my Mom says "Thank God!") The only thing I don't understand is, we go up the aisle to the alter, they give my Mom and Dad a treat and I don't get one! Go figure. We go mall walking every week so that we keep in shape during the bad weather. We don't usually get too far before someone wants to meet me. Mom makes me sit and they usually pet and talk to me. I still practice at the strip malls, going in and out of various stores. We cross busy intersections and sometimes just stand and watch traffic go by.. boooring!

Next Sunday I'm going to the very large St. Patrick's day parade in downtown Cleveland if the weather is nice. It's supposed to be a very big deal and I can't wait to see the marching bands (whatever that is!) This week I went to the mall with my buds Owen and Presley and we ran into this really huge rabbit. His name is "The Easter Bunny." He was very nice, but didn't act like any of the bunnies I've seen in my neighborhood.

There is a lot of other stuff we've been doing, but I'd better get back to my favorite pass-time: playing!

I hope you have a nice Easter and get a lot of candy.

Love,
Schaffner

Hi,

It doesn't seem possible that it's time for our quarterly letter, so much has been going on! I went to downtown Cleveland on the rapid transit (it's almost like the subway). It makes lots of stops and humans get on and off at each stop. I've also been practicing going on the elevators at the mall and at office buildings. My mom's friend couldn't figure out what I was doing one day at the store, because we got off the elevator and I turned around to go back on (I thought we were practicing again!)

In May we went to Washington D.C. for a 90th birthday party that was being held at an assisted living/nursing home. I met some nice elderly people and some relatives I never knew I had. We had a very good time and I got to do some sightseeing. I also went to Mrs Postel's 2nd grade class at Whitney School to give a talk on puppy raisers and guide dogs. The children were very excited to have me there and had a lot of good questions. Before we left we handed out dog bookmarks and pencils and everyone got to pet me goodbye.

I went to vote on Election Day and even though I had I.D. they wouldn't let me punch the little holes in. Then Mom took me to Cuyahoga Community College so that I could see what older kids to at school. They act a lot like the little kids, but they're just bigger! We worked on the stairways there and looked in a couple of classrooms.

Owen and I went to Lake Farmparks for Working Dogs Day, it was to show the public the various kinds of working dogs. We got to meet with all kinds of people who where very interested in us and what we do. They asked Mom & Sheila all sorts of questions and would pet and talk to us. When Mom & I got our break, we walked around the grounds and saw some neat farm animals like pigs, goats and llamas. I liked all the different kinds of smells and did not want to leave until I sniffed everything!

One last thing I have to tell you is when I go to Wal-Mart with Mom, the people in the store think I'm the Wal-Mart puppy. They see the blue jacket and think I work there, aren't they funny?

Hope you have a great summer and I'll talk to you in the fall!

Love,
Schaffner