Morristown St. Patty's Day Parade

Last Saturday, a few of us from the puppy club went to Morristown to march in the St. Patty's Day Parade. It was a fun day for the people -- Colleen, Jeff and Ed -- and the pups -- Yasmine, Millie and Kara.

Bowling with Puppies

PuppyPALS went bowling -- the puppies did not bowl, just the people did.

It was Fathom's first club outing and he was the youngest puppy there.

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

In May, PuppyPALS went on a trip to Manhattan. We started in Brooklyn and took our puppies on a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

It was a great experience for the puppies. We walked on the pedestrian walkway which is raised up above the traffic and inbetween lanes of traffic going in both directions. There were a lot of other people on the bridge as well as bicycles and other dogs too!

In Manhattan, we found a park where we ate lunch before heading back to Brooklyn. The weather was perfect -- not too warm and the outing was a lot of fun for both people and pups.

Rutgers Day

Every April, our club puppies compete in the State 4H Eye Puppy Show at Rutgers Day.

In Class A, Kendall B., showing Scott, placed third.
In Class B, Emily D., showing Quote, placed second. In the same class, Samantha M., showing Dave, placed fourth.
In Class D., Emma B., showing Kole, placed fourth.

All of the other pups, Aries shown by Elena S., Gabby shown by Jeff D., Quail shown by Adult raiser, Marian S. and Ophelia shown by adult raiser, Marc G., scored excellently.

Liberty Science Center

In April, Puppy PALS went to the Liberty Science Center. We visited many of the exhibits, gave a demo and enjoyed lunch. Puppies and people all had a good time.

A Visit to Newark Airport

This past Saturday, our puppy club joined a bunch of other Seeing Eye puppy clubs at Newark Airport for a tour. It's an annual trip for us puppyraisers and a great exposure outing for the pups. We started out our morning with a behind the scenes look at the airport emergency equipment. We all boarded buses for a trip to the Continental Terminal where we walked around and even boarded an airplane -- we didn't go anywhere but it's a great experience for the pups to get onto an airplane and try to squeeze on the floor. The bus rides are always amazing -- lots of dogs and no barking. The trips are also a great opportunity to meet littermates -- Dave (one of our club German Shepherds) met his littermate, Dusty.

Our trip also made the newspaper! Here's the article that appeared in Sunday's paper and look for quotes from our club leader -- Marie -- and from one of our own puppyraisers -- Emily D!

NEWARK — Piper, an impetuous and frisky half-chocolate, half-golden lab, stood at fidgety attention on the tarmac at Newark Liberty International Airport with more than 80 other puppies and their handlers when the sirens and hoses of two waiting fire trucks were suddenly turned on.

The blaring noise startled Piper, prompting her handler to pull her aside. "Don’t baby her," another handler warned.

As the other dogs circled the trucks, Paula T. gave Piper an affectionate pat. "She’s the only flunkie," she joked. "We still love her."

The canine cavort to one of the nation’s busiest airports was part of a training trip for dogs destined to be paired with blind and visually impaired owners. Part of the training for the dogs is acclimatizing them to loud noises in emergency situations.

"It’s chaos, but it’s exciting," said Paula T, of Westfield, who is taking part in the program, run by The Seeing Eye in Morristown, for the first time.

The field trip to Newark Airport gathered Seeing Eye puppy raising clubs from northern and central New Jersey to expose the dogs to an airport environment.

"This is actually a pretty hard environment for a dog," said Rivi I, 28, of Bridgewater, a trainer at The Seeing Eye who is caring for her family’s 21st Seeing Eye puppy, Jason. "It’s great exposure and experience for the dogs — people, slippery floors, luggage containers."

But in an airport where some 35 million people come through every year, there’s a lot to be gained by airport staff as well.

"You’re dealing with every aspect of life and every aspect of what people have to cope with," said Newark Airport general manager John Jacobi as dozens of pint-sized pups and their handlers lined up at the security gate before boarding a plane. "The more we’re aware of that and understand it from the other side, the better we can do our job."

Most people who care for a Seeing Eye puppy get hooked. Janet K, a retired NJ Transit investigator who leads the Essex County Puppy Club, started nearly 30 years ago with a black lab named Helsa for her shy 11-year-old daughter.

"It seemed like something that would bring her our of her shell," said Janet K, 71, of Irvington. "And it worked."

Since Helsa, Janet K has raised 49 guide dogs. Yesterday, she walked Zara, a six-month-old German shepherd clad in her telltale green Seeing Eye handkerchief, around the baggage carousel at Terminal C.

"It’s really rewarding," said Emily D, 18, of North Brunswick, who is raising her third guide dog, Quote, an 8-month-old black lab who rested her head between her paws as Emily D and her mother rode the bus with the rest of their club, the 4-H Middlesex County Puppy Pals. "It’s really cool to see them paired up with someone. It changes their life."

Once the dogs are ready for training, they return to The Seeing Eye for intensive training. Every handler will admit that’s the hardest part.

"You know in 15 or 16 months you’re going to have to say goodbye," said Roger W, 67, of Woodcliff Lake, who is raising his 26th guide dog, Dusty. "Big people do cry."

"It’s horrible," said Marie L, who leads the 4-H Middlesex County Puppy Pals. Her face visibly fell just at the thought of it. "You go through puppy deprivation — then you get another one."
Former handlers are allowed to attend the dog’s "graduation," but from a distance, so the dogs don’t see them and get confused.

"It was hard," Emily D recalled. "I just wanted to hug her."

But later, the teen received a heart-warming letter from the dog’s new owner, a New York City professor. "He said it was like getting a new set of eyes."

November Walk at the Mall

In November our puppy club was invited to do a demonstration at the Brunswick Square Mall. We used the opportunity to walk our pups around the mall giving them great exposure to noise and people. Afterwards, we had dessert at Ruby Tuesdays -- another great experience for the puppies in learning to sit quietly while we chatted and ate dessert.

Visiting the horses...

Sat. Nov. 7, 2009

The puppy club went to Hillsborough to visit a horse barn. Quail, Gabby, Milo, Kole, Quote and Zoey enjoyed their morning visit with the horses and so did the raisers. Afterwards, we went to lunch at Applebee's where the pups slept and the people ate.

Puppy PALS Halloween Parade

Our pups were all decked out for our October Puppy PALS Meeting and Halloween Parade.

All Aboard the Princeton Dinky

We went on our annual train ride aboard the Princeton Dinky. We boarded in Princeton Junction and took the 5 minute train ride into Princeton. We walked on campus and stopped to take a group picture. Our destination was Thomas Sweets where we had sandwiches from the cafe next door followed by yummy ice cream for the people and milk bones for the puppies.

A fun trip for all puppies and people too!

Somerset Patriots vs. Long Island Ducks

We headed out to the ballgame. Ava, Milo, London and Zoey were all set to catch a foul ball. Unfortunately it began to rain and we left before the Seventh Inning Stretch where our pups usually sit in the grassy field for a Meet The Seeing Eye Puppies Session.

Sayen Gardens

Our club headed to Sayen Gardens for a morning stroll through the gardens.