Graduate Team: Elnora and Poncho
About the Team: Poncho, male black Lab; Elnora’s 1st guide dog
Location: Lombard, Illinois
Training: April 2026 On Campus
Elnora grew up in a small town in southern Illinois as one of eleven children. Her father had glaucoma, and Elnora, along with seven of her siblings, also developed the condition. An avid athlete, Elnora played basketball and softball in high school and continued playing softball at MacMurray College, where she had a wonderful experience and made lifelong friends. However, financial challenges forced her to leave before completing her degree. After college, Elnora joined several friends on what was intended to be a one-month trip to Alaska. While the others eventually returned home, Elnora chose to stay and ended up making Alaska her home for the next twelve years. She worked as an assistant coach for a high school athletic program and enjoyed the opportunity to travel. When she left Alaska, she moved to Ohio to get treatment at Ohio State. As her glaucoma progressed and vision continued to deteriorate, however, she moved to Chicago to be closer to family and finished her degree in Psychology and earned a Master’s in Community Counselling. During her years in Chicago, she worked as a counselor on Chicago’s South Side, where she made a lasting impact on the lives of many students. Among her proudest accomplishments was helping students with disabilities gain admission to college and secure scholarship funding to pursue their educational goals. She then went on to work for the State of Illinois for 4 years as a vocational counselor. Now retired in Lombard, Elnora remains closely connected to her family and lifelong friends. She looks forward to continuing to travel and is especially excited about a planned visit this fall to Washington, D.C., where she will reunite with Poncho’s puppy raiser.
How would you describe your guide dog? “Poncho is a very kind and attentive dog. We walk 2 miles every day and he enjoys getting out. He is adjusting to our new environment very well and knows the route we take each day. His puppy raiser sent me some of his favorite toys, and he loves them. We have an enclosed area, and he loves to run and play fetch every day. However, when he is done playing and working, he also loves his rest and sleeps upside down. The only time I have heard him bark is when my niece and nephew come to visit. He gets so excited to play with them.”
What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes? “Many years ago, I thought that a guide dog might help me, and I applied to a different organization. It’s a pretty time-consuming process, and unfortunately, there was some mix-up with paperwork, which meant I would need to start all over. I was disappointed about the process and unhappy to have to start all over again, so I gave up. Years later, I remembered that I had heard of an organization in New York, so I applied to Guiding Eyes and was so excited when they accepted me.”
How has having a guide dog impacted your life? “Poncho is a good companion. I enjoy getting out with him by my side. A few days ago, he and I took the bus to my sister’s house. It felt so good to get out with him. I enjoy getting out to visit friends, and he makes it a lot easier. We have already flown four times. I recently travelled to a reunion of college friends, and he was the hit of the party.
Were there any training highlights? “The entire training was an awesome experience. The instructors were great and so patient. If a lesson needed repeating, they were happy to do so. We had so many great experiences from riding trains, training on escalators, and we even ate in a fancy restaurant. It’s one thing for one person and their guide dog to go to a restaurant, but six of us went together, and everyone had a good time.”
DOB: 4/8/2024
Litter ID: 2P24
Color/Breed: Black/Labrador Retriever
Gender: Male
Brood: Vasha
Stud: Navy
Littermates: Pixel, Pria, Phoenix, Pumpkin, Porter, Eclipse
Region: Montgomery
Regional Puppy Instructor: Jeanyne Gembarski
Puppy Raiser: Jen & Kyle Danish
Facebook: Montgomery Puppy Raisers
From the start, Poncho revealed himself as exuberant, playful, and deeply loving. When I introduced him to our 100 students, his joy was immediate – and contagious. He quickly found his place: chasing balls with our youngest children at recess, offering affectionate greetings (with permission), and becoming part of the pack. Over time, he learned to settle, play safely, and even rest calmly in his “executive office” while I was in meetings. I will always remember his lap hugs, his cheerful snorts and epic snoring, and his genuine delight in every person he met. Poncho formed strong bonds not only with me, but with his sitters and his trainer, Liv. Our year together changed me, and I carry deep pride in the remarkable dog he has become. ~ Jen Danish
