Moira, a 9 week old Labrador puppy sniffs the camera after dropping her stick during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation class at Talbot Community Center, in Easton, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. This exercise helps a puppy with the “leave it” command.
Brahms, left, and three other Labrador retriever puppies wait with their volunteer “Puppy Raisers” to board a flight at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. The puppies have completed this stage of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind program and must leave their “Puppy Raisers,” and journey back to the Guiding Eyes headquarters for formal training to become guide dogs.
Volunteer “Puppy Raisers” from left, Lynette Gebhardt, Debbie Dugan, Leigh Goetzke and Debbie Roschli, attempt to wrangle their puppies on the tarmac for a photo at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. They will raise the puppies for a year for the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient.
Grand, left, is awarded the Guiding Eyes Puppy Olympics 2022 gold medal and Kenji is awarded silver at the end of their Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation class at Talbot Community Center, in Easton, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. This game helps puppies become comfortable having something placed over their heads.
Queenie, an eight week old Labrador puppy, yawns in a warm sweater before the start of her Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation class with volunteer puppy raiser Debbie Dugan at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, in Bowie, Md., Monday, Feb. 14, 2022.
Pierre, an 8-week-old German Shepard puppy, sleeps soundly after the flight and tarmac greet with his volunteer Puppy Raiser at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Pierre is in Guiding Eyes for the Blind program that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient.
Kenji, a 13-week-old German Shepard puppy, looks to his Puppy Raiser Cindy Tait during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation class at Talbot Community Center, in Easton, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
Pilots To The Rescue’s Natalie Kelley holds and kisses Quincy an 8 week old Labrador puppy, as they arrive at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Quince of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program, will be handed off to her volunteer “Puppy Raiser.” Guiding Eyes for the Blind provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient.
Pilots To The Rescue “Top Dog” Michael Schneider gets puppy kisses from Moira, an 8 week old Labrador puppy, as they arrive at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Moira, part of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program, will be handed off to her volunteer “Puppy Raiser.” Guiding Eyes for the Blind provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient.
Pete, an 8-week-old German Shepard puppy, and Gin Owens, practice the free feeding command during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation puppy class at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, in Bowie, Md., on Valentine’s day, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. This command teaches a puppy to wait for food.
A Guiding Eyes for the Blind tag Hans from Becket’s, a young German Shepard, collar during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind big puppy class at Talbot Community Center, in Easton, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
Volunteer puppy raiser Suzette Galyean works with 5-month-old German Shepard puppy Thunder during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind big puppy class at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, in Bowie, Md., Monday, Feb. 14, 2022.
Moira, an 8 week old Labrador puppy, gives lots of puppy kisses to her Guiding Eyes for the Blind volunteer “Puppy Raiser” Debbie Roschli, at they meet on the tarmac moments after Moira arrived at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Roschli will raise Moira for a year as part of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind volunteer “Puppy Raiser” Debbie Roschli, plays with Moira, an 8 week old Labrador puppy, on the tarmac at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Roschli will raise Moira for a year as part of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient.
Moira, an 8 week old Labrador puppy, zooms to the end of her leash held by Guiding Eyes for the Blind volunteer “Puppy Raiser” Debbie Roschli, as they play on the tarmac moments after Moira arrived at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Roschli will raise Moira for a year as part of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient.
Kenji, a 13-week-old German Shepard puppy, looks up at puppy raiser Cindy Tait after she dressed him in rain boots during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation class at Talbot Community Center, in Easton, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. This exercise helps a puppy get comfortable being handled.
Denali, a young Labrador retriever, waits with volunteer puppy raiser Carolyn Schaefer to board a Pilots to the Rescue flight at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Delani has completed this stage of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind program and must leave Schaefer his “Puppy Raiser” and journey back to the Guiding Eyes headquarters for formal training to become a guide dog.
Brahms is walked by volunteer puppy raiser Chris Bohmer to board a Pilots to the Rescue flight at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022 Brahms has completed this stage of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind program and must leave Bohmer his “Puppy Raiser” and journey back to the Guiding Eyes headquarters for formal training to become a guide dog.
FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — Wiggles, kisses, and puppy breath.
The five 8-week-old Labrador retriever and German shepherd puppies were open-hearted balls of fluff when they first arrived at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade earlier this month.
Now, they are on a path to greatness — potentially as guide dogs that will transform the lives of people with vision loss and vision impairment.
The furry faithful-friends-to-be traveled aboard a “Pilots To The Rescue” flight from the Guiding Eyes for the Blind headquarters in Yorktown Heights, New York, where they were born and spent the first two months of their lives with their moms and siblings.
Although the young canines have been bred for health and temperament, it will require the expertise of the volunteer Puppy Raisers here to transform the excitable, wiggly youngsters into well-trained, well-mannered and well-socialized dogs.
The process will involve 14 to 16 months of weekly classes and evaluations. Training starts with the basics: name recognition, manners and commands such as “sit” and “down.” More complex commands are then taught before the puppies are introduced to the world by the raisers and the raisers’ families.
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