Sarah Blake LaRose

Training with a dog guide has evolved in many ways over the last 25 years. Schools have addressed discipline techniques so that the relationship focuses on preventing distractions and rewarding positive behaviors. New strategies for traffic work have been introduced so that dogs are able to work effectively in our society’s complex environment. Additionally, The Seeing Eye expanded its campus in the mid-1990s so that each student had his/her own room and could concentrate on bonding with the dog in privacy. Several of us who trained during the “old days” have fond memories of our roommates and even stay in touch; but we also attest to the improvement in that comes from having our own space during the first few weeks.

During that first training in 1991, I was encouraged to keep Elli on leash or tie down at all times since she was not yet accustomed to me and would probably test me by misbehaving. Mr. Franck suggested that I take her with me even when I went into the bathroom and only use the tie down if I was taking a shower or preparing her food. He also suggested that my roommate and I keep the floor cleaned up so that the dogs would not chew on our belongings.

My roommate and I decided that something needed to be done regarding the potential chewing problem. Neither of us were supremely neat housekeepers at home, and we could not stand the thought of taking home Destructo Dog.

I placed my tennis shoe on the floor in front of Elli’s nose. Elli sighed and went to sleep. “Good girl, Elli,” I said. I left my shoe in front of her for several minutes.

When Elli showed no interest, I left some clothing near her. She continued to sleep. “Good girl.”

Mr. Franck came in a few days later and saw our room in its state of normal disarray. “It looks like a couple of college girls live here,” he said.

“A couple of college girls do live here,” I said.

About two weeks into the training, we began to leave the dogs alone in the room for a few minutes at a time. The dogs were used to being with us every waking moment by this time; and it was important for them to be able to cope emotionally with being away from us without whining or barking. This would allow us to attend events that were not ideal for a dog to attend, leave the dog at the vet for medical care, etc.

The first few times when I left Elli, I sat outside the door to the room, listening to see whether she whined. If she whined, I opened the door, gave her a “quiet” command, and left the room again. When she was quiet for a specified length of time, I came back into the room, praised her, and went about my business in the room. Each day, I added a little extra time to the exercise.

Elli rarely protested my absence. My roommate’s dog was also quiet. We did, however, return one day to find that her dog had stolen her pillow from her bed. She didn’t destroy it. But she did seem intent on holding it between her paws and laying her face on it.

When it was time to take the dogs home, I was instructed to return to the same tie-down and leash routine that we had used in the beginning of training and to follow it for two weeks before giving the dog any freedom in the house. House freedom should begin slowly, preferably in one room at first, so that she would not be overwhelmed.

My mother picked me and Elli up at the airport. She loved Elli at first sight. At home, the reality of Elli’s connection to me set in.

As I sat on the couch, talking with my mother, I heard the cat jump onto the kitchen counter. I did what I naturally did about the cat jumping on the counter. I rose, yelled at the cat, and flew into the kitchen to retrieve her. And I took Elli with me.

After retrieving the cat, I returned to the couch and continued talking to my mom. A few moments later, the cat jumped on the counter again.

Elli let out the most ferocious bark I had ever heard, ran toward the kitchen, put her paws on the counter near the cat, me in tow.

Mom exclaimed, “She told on the cat!”

When the dog is attached to me, she learns to behave as I behave.

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About Sarah Blake LaRose

Sarah Blake LaRose teaches Biblical Hebrew and Greek at Anderson University School of Theology and Christian Ministry in Anderson, Indiana. She is one of three blind academic scholars who received the Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of the Blind in 2016 in recognition of innovative work in the field of access to biblical language texts and tools for people who are blind. In addition to her work as a professor, she provides braille transcription services specializing in ancient languages. Her research interests concern the intersection of disability, poverty, and biblical studies.

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