You would think that all graduations are for people, but they’re not. On February ninth I attended a dog’s graduation. This wasn’t just any dog though; this was a guide dog puppy in training graduation to be a guide dog for the blind.
Being a guide dog for the blind is a huge deal considering that only about twenty-five percent of guide dogs in training make it to be a guide dog for the blind. I attended this particular one because a dog that was raised by a girl in our Stanislaus Guide Dog club was graduating. Our whole club was there to support her when she handed the dog that she had trained off to the blind person.
Before the dogs graduate, they have to go through a long process of training. Once they are at a Guide Dog facility, one is where the graduation took place; they will get matched with a blind person who is compatible with the dogs speed and personality. Once they get matched with someone they go through some more training with the person. If all goes well during this training process, and they make it through, they then get to graduate.
When it comes time for a dog to graduate, Guide Dogs for the Blind will notify the dogs trainer and they can attend the graduation. In this case I went to see a dog named Virgil Graduate. The puppy raisers get to reunite with the dogs, usually after about two or three months, that they have trained before the graduation begins.
There are usually about five to seven dogs that graduate together each time. Each dog goes up separately. The person who is receiving the guide dog, the puppy raiser, and the dog stand in front of everyone. The blind person gives a speech; they usually tell us why it is worth training these dogs and the importance of them in their lives. The puppy raiser then hands over the dog that they’ve trained and gives a small speech. Emily, Virgil’s puppy raiser, told us what an amazing dog Virgil has become. She told us little stories about him and how much she knows Virgil will help his new owner.
This graduation showed me how amazing the experience of raising a guide dog is. It was very touching knowing how much you are changing someone’s life. Hearing all of the life changing stories really encourages me to try my best and not give up on the dog that I am raising.