THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 17, 1996 TAG: 9605160168
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER BENNETT, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
ON their third try, Sue and Bobby Oakley of Virginia Beach finally got to see their ``baby'' work in the field they hoped she would.
Last month, Libby, a friendly black Labrador retriever the couple had sheltered since she was a puppy, became a guide dog for Robert Beckwith, a visually impaired Boston man.
``What a special feeling to be present at the ceremony,'' said Sue Oakley, a USAir flight attendant. ``Libby is our first dog to graduate.''
The Oakleys are puppy raisers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a New York-based nonprofit guide dog training school. The school breeds, prepares and provides guide dogs that assist the blind. At 8 to 10 weeks of age, specially bred retrievers and/or German shepherds are transported to volunteer families' homes for care. As raisers, the families feed, nurture and teach good manners to the puppies for one year to 18 months. Then the puppies return to New York for guide dog training school. About 45 percent of the dogs complete the school, according to the association.
As with children, the puppies' early training is most critical, said Jane Russenberger, senior director of breeding and placement for Guiding Eyes.
``If we didn't have puppy raisers, there would be no guide dogs,'' Russenberger said. ``You can't raise guide dogs in a kennel environment.''
Unlike volunteer work done a few hours a week, caring for a puppy is an around-the-clock responsibility. A loving home environment enables the puppies to bond and socialize as they eventually would with a blind person.
Originally from Eden, N.C., the couple always had dogs during their 22-year marriage. But according to Sue Oakley, they were ``like new parents'' with their first Guiding Eyes puppy. They read manuals supplied by the association and received advice from Cheryl McKee, an animal behavioral specialist at K9 OBDNS in Virginia Beach. At present, they are raising their fourth and fifth puppies.
``They're with you when you're eating, cooking or taking a shower,'' Bobby Oakley said. ``They're always there. That's how it will be with a blind person.''
As Sue and Bobby Oakley sat on living room chairs, the two young golden retrievers relaxed on the floor next to them. In the car, the dogs adjust to their place on the floor board of the right seat, Bobby Oakley said. To get the dogs accustomed to people and other animals, the Oakleys take them everywhere they are allowed - hotels, restaurants, malls. This way, the animals learn to handle distractions without abandoning their task. The puppies also are taught to mind their social manners, such as not begging for food or jumping on furniture. It's all work the Oakleys said they enjoy.
``They are a good outlet from on-the-job stress,'' Sue Oakley said. ``They always want to play with you. They just love you and want to be with you . . . and provide a lot of entertainment.''
Libby used to wait for Sue and Bobby on the floor by the kitchen door. An earlier puppy staked his claim at the swimming pool. Phoenix, a current pup, likes to lie on the bottom step of the first floor.
Although fun, the dogs do incur costs. According the Guiding Eyes, the price tag for raising and training a guide dog rings in at $25,000. While dog food companies often sponsor puppy food, the Oakleys buy food, toys and collars themselves. Sajo Farms Veterinary Hospital has donated its services to ensure the good health of the dogs. The visually impaired receive training and the dogs at no cost. Guiding Eyes is funded totally by donations.
Since its establishment in 1954, GEB has graduated more than 4,500 guide dog/blind person teams. About 500 families from North Carolina to Maine volunteer as puppy raisers, about nine of them in this area.
Although not every pup becomes a guide dog, there are alternatives. ``If your dog doesn't make guide school, there are other fields to go into,'' Sue Oakley said. ``These dogs have careers.''
Their first two dogs work as bomb detectors. One lives in Greece, sniffing out explosives for the Greek National Police. The other uses his nose for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
``It's a lot of responsibility,'' Sue Oakley said. ``(But) when you see the dog going with the blind person, it's worth it.''
Letting go of the dogs is tough, she said, even though they know they're only keeping the dogs for a while.
Bobby Oakley agreed. ``If there is a bad part,'' he said. ``Giving them up is the worst part of it.'' MEMO: For more information about the Guiding Eyes program, call
1-800-942-0149.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JOHN VECCHIOLLA
Volunteer puppy raisers Bobby and Sue Oakley are proud of their
friendly black Labrador, Libby, who became a guide dog for Robert
Beckwith, a visually impaired Boston man.
KEYWORDS: WORKING DOGS GUIDING EYES BLIND by CNB