First there were the pet dogs: Pippin, Greta, Jack, Nolan, and the current duo of Toby and Bella, a Katrina rescue. Frequently one, two or sometimes even three neighborhood canines join them while their families are out of town. My own menagerie of pets have been treated to the Silverman’s care over the years as well. 

It was no surprise to those of us who know them and know how much they love dogs, when Patriot arrived in the neighborhood in November 2008, as the family’s first Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy-in-training.  Jean and her son, Eric, who was 13 at the time, took the initial training course. Her husband, Mike and daughter, Allison, were “support staff,” which is crucial, as training these puppies is a full-time family commitment. 

Patriot was initially a bit of a challenge. Sweet as he was, he had a stubborn streak and would plop himself down in the street when he just didn’t feel like walking anymore. You can imagine that this would be a major problem for a guide dog, but with Jean’s patience and persistence, Patriot became a model trainee and is now the beloved companion to a 22-year-old blind man in Rhode Island. 

After Patriot, came Otis, who is now assisting a blind woman in New Hampshire. As the "go to" raisers, the Silverman's often have temporary custody of a variety of dogs-in-training, filling in when families go on vacation or other circumstances arise. Currently, they have Denise, who is almost 10 months old, and 4 1/2 month old Sharon. Because the training is so intense, Guiding Eyes for the Blind only allows one dog per trainer, so Eric is taking on the training responsibilities for Sharon, and both he and dad, Mike, are currently taking the training course.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind is a New York-based organization that trains and places service dogs from Maine to North Carolina. Anyone can volunteer to be a “raiser,” as long as they complete the required training and can make the 14- to 18-month commitment. In addition to standard puppy training – things you would do with any pup – Guiding Eyes for the Blind raisers must provide a minimum of twelve “exposures” per week, which include such activities as riding elevators, negotiating traffic, crossing streets, climbing stairs, and using automatic doors. They work on socialization skills as well, such as being polite, quiet and settled when they greet people. 

When Jean is not working her shift as a nurse at Georgetown University Hospital, she is working with her dogs. She grooms them, teaches them, exercises them, and takes them everywhere she can think of to increase their exposures. The woods, the beach, the city, are all standard adventures. A former Girl Scout leader, Jean and her dogs are often the guests of area Girl Scout troops, who learn first-hand about raising guide dogs. 

Guiding Eyes for the Blind places about 500 puppies with raisers each year. In addition to assisting the blind, they also train certain dogs to work with autistic and other special needs individuals. Still others are better suited to police work, including bomb sniffing. All of the dogs are bred from the organization's own lines in New York, and are purposely calmer and lower-maintenance than most puppies. While Guiding Eyes for the Blind provides all of the support and even covers some of the expenses of raising their pups, it doesn’t always work out as planned. Some dogs just don’t fit the bill and end up being adopted by their training family or someone else outside of the network. Others are brought back to New York to breed. Guide dogs are generally in service for eight to 10 years, and the organization takes great care to retire the dogs to good homes and replace the clients’ service dog with one equally perfect for that individual. 

For the Silverman family, the hardest part of raising the puppies is saying goodbye when it’s time for them to be placed in a permanent home. Jean has found it therapeutic to be able to take her dogs up to New York for the hand-off, and better still, if she has another pup in the pipeline to start the process again. As each dog is unique, Jean challenges herself to work harder to “send the best dog up” that she possibly can. 

For information on becoming a raiser for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, visit their website.