But I Could Never Give the Dog Back.....
The Miracle After the Goodbye
By Sass Levine
Share
See also: Raising a Guide Dog for the Blind
How Archie has enhanced Rachel Miller's life...
 After raising Archie, my first guide puppy, for a year, I was expected to return him to the Guide Dog Foundation, in Smithtown, to begin his formal guide dog training. I knew that day was going to come for quite some time, and I tried very hard to prepare myself for it. After all, I was a Puppy Advisor for the GDF at that time and had shared this difficult transition with hundreds of puppy walkers as they too faced that same moment of goodbye. I had been there when their young puppies were handed over to them and I would be there when they brought them back. I hugged them, I comforted them and I promised to look in on their dog from time to time and report back how their dog was doing, but most of all I thanked them.
I reminded them about how theyd played a huge part in giving not only the gift of sight but also a best friend and constant companion to someone whose life will soon be changed forever. I reminded them that this new person will never be alone and they will soon feel safe in a world that challenges them every step of the way. In spite of all these words of support that I had offered so sincerely and that I intellectually understood, I still felt like a piece of my heart was taken away when I said goodbye to my Archie. Perhaps it was because I spent so much time with him. After all, guide puppies do have the privilege of accompanying you to work, movies, restaurants, salons, banks, stores and even on vacation, just about everywhere you go in your daily life. A unique bond forms between you and your guide puppy and you both become very accustomed to a routine that involves you being together at all times.
I was the advisor, and here I was feeling the same pain of loss that every puppy walker feels, and yet it was my puppy walkers who actually came to my rescue. They hugged me and reminded me of why I raised Archie and they even thanked me for the gift I gave to a stranger. It was these wonderful puppy walkers who had experienced the same pain and could be the most supportive and inspiring at a time when I needed them most. It was these repeat puppy walkers who also had experienced the THRILL and PRIDE that came upon them when finally hearing that their little puppy had become an official working guide dog only a few months later! Somehow that helped me. I felt ready to hand him over to his trainer.
Within a few months I got the word that Archie had passed through the training program with flying colors and would be ready to be matched with his new mom. Added to that sense of pride and accomplishment was the wonderful moment when I got to sit with Archie's new mom, Rachel Miller, on celebration Sunday. We shared a few hours together with my family and friends and then exchanged contact information. I hugged my Archie and gently whispered in his ear, "I will always love you".. and they walked away...
Rachel and I have maintained a long distance friendship and enjoy sharing phone calls and stories about Archie and her as well as our surprising Christmas gifts!
Rachel was a 20 yr old woman, living in a rural area of NC, with her parents and her sister, but had gradually lost more and more of her vision starting at 4 yrs old. Her sight at this point allows her to see shadows and moving objects and allows her to read and write some text which would be the equivalent of about 6 large words per page. Rachel also lives with another medical issue which triggers mild seizures from time to time. Although she resisted it at first, it was her parents that insisted that she consider a guide dog. The idea of a dog wasn't too farfetched since Rachel was somewhat of a farm girl and was accustomed to living with dogs and cats. She agreed to send in an application to the Guide Dog Foundation in Smithtown and before long she got the call telling her that they believed they had a match for her in a Golden Retriever named Archie!
I am still awestruck when she reminds me of how she flew, for the first time in her life, all the way from NC to LI, young and alone, and with both vision and other medical challenges! She was met by the wonderful folks at GDF who drove her back to the foundation in Smithtown where she would join others who were all to be united for a month long training program with their dogs. They each had their own rooms with private baths and lovely lounge and a cafeteria for socializing. This program would include day and evening trips and activities along with intensive guide dog training skills.
This was a very exciting time for Rachel as she was very anxious to meet her new best friend and life saver! At first, Rachel and the others spent time getting familiar with the environment around them and began their instruction without any dogs. After a while the trainers would bring in the dogs, one by one to be introduced for the first time to each of the students. Wow.. this is the stuff movies are made of ! Rachel said she was so excited and very nervous about meeting Archie and she understood that it was not necessarily going to be the match, just one that they had hoped would be. Rachel told me that he made her heart sing the moment she felt him.. of course I know Archie, and he happens to be the mushiest of Goldens anyway and as big as he is, he is gentle and sweet. It was a match made in heaven!
Rachel and Archie bonded and shared a month of learning together. They were now a team and committed to protecting one another. She vowed to love and care for him and he vowed to love and protect her and keep her safe from traffic as well as all the obstacles that we sighted people are accustomed to avoiding in our everyday life.
I asked Rachel how Archie changed her life. She told me that she is now famous in her small town, when she was not even noticed before. People beep their horns and shout "hey Archie" out the window of passing cars. The shop keepers all know him and keep special Archie cookies in drawers for when they drop by. She is able to maintain a part time job while Archie lays quietly in the perimeter of her work space. She gets to go to town and to the fitness center for swimming. She had to rely on others to be available before she got Archie. Now they go everywhere together and he protects her. She told me about numerous times when he stopped her from going into the street while a passing car flew by.. and that he now knows when she is going to have a seizure and comes to sit with her until it passes. He even picks up money that she has dropped! When he is not in harness, he enjoys romping with the other dogs and cats on her farm and gets to play and swim in the pond. He escorts her back and forth on the dirt road that connects her to her parents' home which is vital as she used to fear slipping off the side and landing in the pond before Archie came.. now they make that trip with ease! Rachel attends a sleep away camp each summer and because she has Archie, she is able to participate in more activities and he helps her to meet new people. Everyone loves Archie and wants to talk to Rachel all the time, she is no longer invisible!
Hearing how much she loves him and how happy he is in his new life has made it all worthwhile and it has had a fairytale ending for me.. Archie, Rachel and I share something that cannot be measured in words.. it's something from the heart!
If anyone worries that these dogs work too hard or are not allowed to be just dogs.. take a look at Archie's downtime video
| 
