Seeing Eye Dog Learns Alongside Students
June 3, 2019
Have you seen a dog on campus this year? If so, you might also know that he is wearing a green vest. He is a yellow lab and his name is Ginsburg, and he is training to be a seeing eye dog.
Sarah Knorr (12) is his trainer in the first steps of a program to train Ginsburg. She has been working with him since the beginning of the fall semester, teaching him how to follow directions, sit during class, and act appropriately in many different public settings.
Knorr said, “My favorite part of training Ginsburg is the bond that we have and knowing that there is always someone I can count on right next to me. There are days he just does not want to listen to me, and it can get annoying, but I have to remind myself that he is a puppy. He is not always going to be perfect every day.”
Ginsburg also teaches Knorr things, such as patience. She said that it is not always easy having a dog with you all day while trying to listen and learn in her own classes. But, she understands that she is doing something great for someone else in the future. To train and prepare Ginsburg for his formal seeing eye dog training is rewarding to her.
“One big thing I learned is to have loads of patience with him when training and how to deal with all the attention I get when I’m out with him. Both me and Ginsburg have a lot more to learn about, but I am glad to have him by my side through it all,” said Knorr.
She still has time to work with Ginsburg in the coming year. Eventually, she will have to return him to the organization to finalize his formal training. But in the meantime, she and Ginsburg are a team. She hopes he learns to function in society and become a successful helper to someone in need. But most of all, she wants him to remember her, because he has made a positive difference in her life.
Sharon Rucker • Jun 11, 2019 at 9:27 am
Sarah is doing a great job of raising a guide dog puppy and is a great ambassador for guide dogs! She raises through Guide Dogs for the Blind, based on San Rafael, CA, which is a nonprofit organization with all funds coming from private donations. Guide Dogs for the Blind was formed over 75 years ago, provides it’s dogs free to the visually impaired and is the largest guide dog organization in North American.
If you are interested in raising, please feel free to contact Jim Russell, Guide Dogs for the Blind at [email protected] or me at this email address.
Sharon Rucker
Guide Dogs for the Blind – Merced Club Leader
and Volunteer Puppy Raiser
Jim Russell • Jun 6, 2019 at 9:57 am
If you are interested in volunteering to raise a guide dog puppy as Sarah is, you can contact me or [email protected]. Please visit guidedogs.com for more information.
Jim Russell
Community Field Representative
[email protected]