Graduate Team: Amir and Irving
About the Team: Irving, a male black Lab; Amir’s 1st guide dog
Location: Cary, North Carolina
Training: January 2026, On Campus
Amir grew up traveling the world. His father served in the Air Force and later worked with the American Embassy, so Amir lived everywhere from Turkey and Italy to France and California. Those experiences shaped the way he sees and experiences the world. Before he was diagnosed with glaucoma at age 23, Amir had planned to join the Air Force and even applied for a position with the Foreign Service. But as his vision declined, he looked for other ways to satisfy his need for exploration and landed a job with American Airlines in their call center, where he enjoyed a 20-year tenure. Now retired, still fluent in Italian, and retaining a better than average command of French, Amir looks forward to continuing his quest. He hopes his travels with Irving will take him back to the museums and cities of France and Italy, as well as on new adventures hiking in Yellowstone and Yosemite – and even to Machu Picchu. Amir is also an aspiring novelist who dreams up sci-fi and dark fantasy adventures that he hopes to share with the world soon.
How would you describe your guide dog? “Irving is intelligent and determined. When he is working, he is very focused – he knows what he is supposed to be doing. When the harness comes off, he’s a trip – so funny and smart. Every morning, at 6:30 am, Irving moves silently (no barking or whining) across the bedroom to put his head by my mattress, reminding me it’s time to eat. He is really a great dog; he takes me where I need to go, has learned his route well, and is a lot stronger than I thought. When he sees other dogs, Irving is eager to be social but knows to follow the rules, and that work comes first. On a recent visit with family, Irving had a field day socializing with other people. Once he got his pets and scratches, he returned to sit by my side. It was a great experience and a reminder to begin socializing him more, so that we can travel internationally.”
What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes? “I used to travel more when my eyesight was better – hiking, walking, and just visiting with others. When my glaucoma progressed, I initially resisted assistance, but after a few falls, I got a stick. Recently, when in a class at the Rehabilitation Center for the Blind in Raleigh, I met a woman with a guide dog who was totally blind and navigating walkways better than the rest of us. She shared that the dog allowed her to reclaim her freedom. Meeting her made me want to get a guide dog to reclaim my life, too. I have always enjoyed the outdoors and have traveled all over the world, both of which are increasingly more difficult as my eyesight declines. The cane is great to tell others I am visually impaired and to keep me from falling, but it is not great for the outdoors. I look forward to the independence having a guide dog will bring.”
How has having a guide dog impacted your life? “My quality of life has improved significantly with Irving. Living near two major intersections, I had become somewhat confined to my home, often scared to go out. I hadn’t left my subdivision in months because people speed and drive so dangerously up the blind hill near my home. Now that I have Irving, I will go out more. Taking him for walks has progressed to visits to a nearby shopping center, strip mall, and park – all places I used to go before my vision declined. I’ve enjoyed getting out more. I used to walk miles and miles, and look forward to being able to do that again. The stick is helpful, but it gets stuck in sidewalk cracks and uneven terrain. It has its limitations. With Irving, I am more confident, especially off road, and am looking forward to hiking again.”
Were there any training highlights? “I very much appreciated that Guiding Eyes was able to match me with Irving after Orlando, the original dog with whom I was assigned. He turned out not to be a fit because he didn’t keep my cadence. In fact, it was my trainer who realized this was necessary once we started to train together. I enjoyed watching Irving be so playful with the other dogs during breaks. The whole experience was really, really great. I didn’t know what to expect, so everything was a highlight.”
DOB: 10/4/2022
Litter ID: 9I322
Color/Breed: Black/Labrador
Gender: Male
Brood: Edna
Stud: Ralphie
Littermates: Ingalls, Ives, Ipso, Iman, Iva, Ink, Indra, Isley
Region: Monroe NY
Regional Puppy Instructor: MeKalea Chambliss
Puppy Raiser: Char Finkle & Brandon Martinez
Facebook: Monroe Puppy Raisers
Irving was the sweetest pup, he always had a drive to please whoever was handling him. My favorite outing that we did with him had to be taking him to a local renaissance festival – he saw horses, we worked on underfootings and he met some really interesting people! He really enjoyed watching the joust as well. I think my co-raiser would agree that Irving was all around a great pup, but we always enjoyed his goofy demeanor which earned him the nickname- Irva-Smurf. He has a heart as big as his tongue! We are excited to see his adventures with his new team and we hope that you enjoy Irving as much as we enjoyed raising him. ~ Char Finkle and Brandon Martinez
