Vet student Vivian Lee ’21 with Siggy, who returned to Guiding Eyes in early February. (Sreang Hok / Cornell University) Students For Guiding Eyes Volunteers, it’s a Labor of (Puppy) Love Stories You May Like Protecting All Creatures, Great and Small—Around the Globe Paws Up for Science! Student’s Service Dog Gets His Own PPE Veterinary Specialists Help Furry Patients Get Back on their Paws Two student groups help raise and train future service dogs—a demanding gig with tail-wagging rewards Editor’s note: We spoke with the puppy raisers in fall 2022; some of their dogs will return to Guiding Eyes in spring 2023, or have already done so. By Beth Saulnier Students on the Hill are training for all manner of careers, and many will have a direct impact on human wellbeing. But a select few of these hardworking learners are not only destined for essential jobs, but are downright adorable: the half dozen or so puppies whom Cornellians are raising to become future Guiding Eyes dogs. You have seen them in their little blue vests, looking irresistibly, fantastically cute as they accompany their humans (known as “raisers”) around campus. With the aim of acclimating them to as many environments as possible, the puppies go to class, ride the bus, take outings to restaurants and stores, and more. Alyssa Roorda ’23 (left) and Zoe Weissbach ’23, BS ’22, with their Guiding Eyes puppies. “A big part of their training is socialization—taking them places, exposing them to different environments,” says Alyssa Roorda ’23, an agricultural science major who’s been co-raising a black Lab named Oak since May 2022. “And what better place than a college campus? Our dogs are really fortunate to get all of the experiences here that they do.” Roorda is president of Guiding Eyes at Cornell, a student-run group dedicated to raising dogs—mainly Labrador retrievers—from puppyhood until they enter formal training as guide dogs when they’re about a year and a half old. A big part of their training is socialization—taking them places, exposing them to different environments. Guiding Eyes at Cornell president Alyssa Roorda In addition to living with the dogs and socializing them, members take their furry charges to official training classes—taught by the nonprofit Guiding Eyes for the Blind, which provides the puppies and oversees their upbringing, including medical care—as well as conducting daily one-on-one training. “Your dog is basically your little buddy on campus,” says Zoe Weissbach ’23, BS ’22, who’s raising a yellow Lab. “Alec comes with me to my classes, he’ll sit in the library.” Weissbach and Alec make a friend. The group has several dozen active members (with hundreds on its mailing list), a few of whom are serving as raisers at any given time. Others are “sitters”—students who take the dogs for short jaunts or who watch them when their raisers go on vacation—a required step before becoming a raiser. “The dogs are kind of always working and getting exposure to different situations,” says Weissbach, a recent civil engineering alum (she graduated a semester early). “You try to take them everywhere you can, but also teach them that they don’t go everywhere; sometimes you have to leave them home.” And Guiding Eyes at Cornell is just one of the student groups on the Hill dedicated to raising future guide dogs; another, smaller one is based at the Vet College. Members include third-year students Vivian Lee ’21 and Nardine Nasr, who have been co-raising Siggy, a yellow Lab. Getting socialized in Stocking Hall. For Lee, the group’s past president, it’s volunteer work that’s particularly personal: her grandfather—a photographer—lost his sight a decade before he passed away. Stories You May Like Protecting All Creatures, Great and Small—Around the Globe Paws Up for Science! Student’s Service Dog Gets His Own PPE “Once he became blind, he was very depressed, and it impacted his daily life,” she recalls. “He would always tell me how sad he was that he couldn’t do the things he’d been able to. For him, it would have been nice to have had a guide dog. So the reason I decided to be a raiser was so I could give back to someone else who was blind and in need of a companion, to help make their lives easier and more enjoyable.” In addition to co-raising Siggy, Nasr is raising Opus, a black Lab. She has taken one or the other of them to stores, restaurants, hotels—even the National Mall in Washington, DC, and a Big Red hockey game in Lynah. Both future vets say the dogs have taught them a great deal about canine behavior, as well as patience and time management. “It’s also a great stress relief,” observes Nasr, the group’s past treasurer. “Especially some days where you’re studying for hours on end, you can take a little break to take them out to the bathroom. And as a Guiding Eyes raiser, you gain access to a whole community of other raisers, who are there to help you.” Adds Lee: “There’s just something about the love that dogs give you; it really is unconditional. Even when we have low days, where the training isn’t going as well as we’d want, he’s still always there. And then the next day, he’s ready to work and wants to make us happy.” There’s just something about the love that dogs give you; it really is unconditional. Third-year vet student Vivian Lee But as joyful and satisfying as it is to be a Guiding Eyes raiser, it inevitably involves sacrifice: relinquishing a dog they’ve reared since puppyhood, who’s bonded to them and vice versa. “I honestly still haven’t grappled with it, because he really is my baby,” says Lee. “I definitely didn’t expect it to be as emotional. When I went in, I thought, ‘I know I’m going to give up this dog, so I’m not going to get as attached.’ Nope—the first week, I absolutely fell in love with him.” Nardine Nasr conducts a training exercise with Siggy. Roorda is co-raising Oak with her mom, who lives locally; he’s the tenth dog the family has raised, so she has already experienced letting them go. When the dogs return to the organization, they’re assessed for their potential as guides to the visually impaired; they may instead become another type of service dog or work in such areas as detection or search and rescue. Or, for reasons of temperament or trainability, they may be deemed unsuitable to be working animals, and are adopted as pets. Their puppy raisers have first dibs—followed by a very long waiting list of hopeful families. “Giving them back does not get easier,” Roorda admits. “But you go into it knowing what you’re raising them for, and we constantly keep that in mind. We’re really proud of their successes. And no matter what they do—whether they become a guide dog or go into some other career, or we adopt them back—they’ve done a good job.” Interested in becoming a puppy raiser in your community? Information can be found on the national organization’s website. Top: Vet student Vivian Lee ’21 with Siggy, who returned to Guiding Eyes in early February. (All photos and video by Sreang Hok / Cornell University.) Published February 7, 2023 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Cornelliana A Cat Named Ezra (and Willard the Turtle, and a Car Called Carl …) Quizzes & Puzzles July / August ’23 Trivia Roundup Quizzes & Puzzles Eek! How Much Do You Know About Creepy-Crawly Big Red History?