Graduate Team: Aziz and Dundee
About the Team: Dundee, a male black Lab; Aziz’s 2nd guide dog
Location: Hickory Hills, Illinois
Training: April 2026 On-Campus
Aziz is a PhD Candidate in Informatics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research is at the intersection of orientation and mobility, artificial intelligence, and privacy. He previously had a guide dog from another school, and Dundee is his first Guiding Eyes dog. Aziz appreciates living near his family in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. In his free time, he enjoys kayaking, hiking, and developing apps and websites.
How would you describe your guide dog? “Dundee is a chill, curious, and intelligent dog. When he’s working, he’s always cautious, never assumes, mindful of his surroundings, and locked onto our route. And when it’s play time, he has infinite energy.”
What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes?“My first dog was from another organization. What impressed me with Guiding Eyes was both the quick wait time to be accepted into the program, which in my case was two months, and how quickly I started training, 8 months later. I also appreciated the support services Guiding Eyes provided, which were made very clear during training. For instance, if we ever needed a bit more training or reinforcement, there were regional people available to visit the home. By far the most important reason was the instructor/handler ratio, which, in my class, was 1 instructor to 2 handlers.”
How has having a guide dog impacted your life? “Given the structure of my life, I now have to get up at a specific time to walk Dundee. This is a good thing, as it forces me to step away from work, which I tend to get wrapped up in at times. He’s a discipline skeleton of sorts. It’s the friendship with Dundee, my freedom being restored, and the confidence and responsibility that I am experiencing again.”
Were there any training highlights? “The two things that stood out the most were the trainer/handler ratio and the Unifly harness. The instructor’s narration was super helpful. For instance, he might say, ‘Oh, Dundee is stopping because we’re at a driveway’, or ‘What Dundee is doing he’s not supposed to be doing.’ I also really appreciated the fact that the instructors checked their egos at the door and worked collaboratively. And the food was great!”
DOB: 12/20/2023
Litter ID: 10D423
Color/Breed: Black/Labrador Retriever
Gender: Male
Brood: Sasha CES
Stud: Yorktown
Littermates: Dempsey, Deirdre, Drummer, Dancer, Dolly, Doug, Denzel, Dodge, Durango, Destiny, and Dino
Region: Capital NY
Regional Puppy Instructor: Kate Gardner
Puppy Raiser: Sonam Sherpa
Facebook: Capital NY Puppy Raisers
From the day I picked Dundee up to start his journey, he was a curious puppy with boundless energy and the funniest zoomies. He was the first pup I raised for GEB and my first dog ever. We learned and grew alongside each other and enjoyed many adventures, including paddleboarding! I’m so grateful for our time together and our local GEB community that helped foster his growth while on program. He will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope Aziz and Dundee enjoy many years of partnership and endless adventures together! ~ Sonam Sherpa
