Hannah and Fate

Meet Graduate Hannah

Graduate Team:  Hannah and Fate
About the Team: Fate: a female black Labrador Retriever; Hannah’s 1st guide dog
Location:  Burlington, Vermont
Training:  March 2025 On-Campus 

Hannah earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Mount Holyoke College. She is employed as a Virtual Program Developer at LEAP (Learn, Earn, and Prosper), a training program for blind and visually impaired youth, supporting their learning skills for work and independent living. She coordinates online programming for workshops, online work experiences, and social events.  She primarily relies on city buses to get to work, run errands, and shop, because while walking, she often lacked confidence and independence in her travels. However, with Fate, she now feels empowered and is actively pursuing professional growth and a graduate degree, believing it will help her navigate new stages of adulthood. Hannah lives in Burlington, VT, with her new guide dog, Fate, near her parents and two younger brothers. She travels several times a year with her family to places like Maine and Boston, and occasionally to other cities for work conferences.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading and used to be an avid horseback rider.

How would you describe your guide dog?  “Fate is a love-bug and just the sweetest dog.  She is very laid-back, calm, and easy-going.  In harness, Fate is focused, ready-to-go, enjoys her work, and gets excited about going to new places.”

What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes? “I knew several people who have guide dogs, and since I work with blind people, I know quite a few guide dog users.  A co-worker spoke so highly of Guiding Eyes and encouraged me to apply. Hearing all of their great experiences was very encouraging, so I called Guiding Eyes.  My family and I have always had cats, so having a dog in my life is new and wonderful. I was so fortunate, as I got in touch with Guiding Eyes in November, and early this year, they called to say they had a dog for me.”

How has a guide dog impacted your life? “I’m still getting used to this new way of traveling, but I’m figuring it out, and Fate is getting me out a lot more.  I live on the 4^th floor and have the only service dog in my building. I am now more confident navigating my city, so we go out to play, stretch our legs, and enjoy going for walks. We live in an area where there are sidewalks, and Fate is great at getting me to curbs. Some intersections have the crossing buttons to assist you, and Fate learned well the ‘traffic checks’ skills we practiced at the school.”

Were there any training highlights? “The instructors, Michelle, Shannon, and Shanon, were just great.  As a group, we went to the mall, a Walmart, and walked around Yorktown. I only have a little residual vision, so the night walk was interesting, a little scary, and really tested my trust in Fate, since I could not see at all. It was a very powerful experience. We also took a train ride to another small town where we walked around and stopped in a coffee shop. When we went to a restaurant, Fate was just quiet and slept at my feet.  My whole experience certainly ‘lived up to the hype’. At the school, we saw Chef Rob most mornings, and he knew if we had any allergies or preferences. The food was always good, just like everyone said it would be.”

Meet Guide Dog Fate

DOB:  1/8/2023
Litter ID: 2F23
Color/Breed:  Black/Labrador
Gender: Female
Brood: Patrice
Stud: Ralphie
Littermates: Flurry, Fargo, Fauna, Freckles
Region:  Cattaraugus, Erie NY
Regional Puppy Instructor: Cassie Houghton
Puppy Raiser:  Mrs. Donna Schwab
Facebook: Erie Puppy Raisers

Photos of the Team…