Shadow Gets Matched and Cochise Starts His Journey

Our North Pinellas group has had several of our puppies go in for training.  Sunny and Jam have been there since July.  Katy just went in a couple of weeks ago.  As puppy raisers, we wait eagerly to hear back about them worried that they are doing well, making the grade and performing as expected.  We want them to be the best that they can be.  Sometimes that means being a guide dog and sometimes that means going on to another career.

Happily, for the Woodman family, they got the call that Shadow had been matched with a visually impaired partner and that they would be going to graduation to see dog and partner perform as a team. Now, I will turn the story over to Susan Woodman:


Shadow was matched with Luciana Belfiglio of Bradenton.  Shadow is her 2nd guide dog from Southeastern.  He will be living with her retired guide dog Beamer,  a puggle named Lucky and  Mickey the cat.  I was so happy to hear she had other animals, because he was used to a house full with us.  As for  Lu, if I could have hand picked someone she would have be it.  You were right about bringing tissues: we used all I brought and then some.  Lu's vision loss is not obvious at first.  She is legally blind from retinitis pigmentosa.  She has no peripheral or night vision.

 After experiencing life with a guide dog she was able to navigate without accidentally running into people and things.  It has given her more independence.

 As I watched Shadow do his walk with Lu I felt as if I were watching one of my sons graduate from college, except this one wasn't wearing a cap and gown, he was wearing a harness. We are so proud of him!!

 A couple of weeks later, the Woodman's started the guide dog journey again by picking up puppy Cochise.  

They contend that the Southeastern has upped their puppy training game and Cochise is a super smartie able to do things no other puppy can.

Hmmmm.  He does have the blue cape on.