Congratulations to all the Guiding Eyes graduates, and guide dog teams, John and Cinnamon and Eric and Becky!
– Bob Rollmann and Cindy Sullivan, fosters for proud dad Guiding Eyes Ingot
In Memory of Donna Brill, a life long dog lover, who especially adored all the Labrador Retrievers in her life. Donna and her husband Jim spent many years breeding and training happy and loving Labradors. We know Mom would be so proud of all the devotion and loving care these guide dogs will provide. Thanks to the work at Guiding Eyes, these dogs will be faithful companions like Donna’s faithful dog of 16 years, Allie, who was with her through her final days.
Donna’s daughters, Angela Brill, Laurie Lamp and Kathy Dahm
November Graduate Teams Sponsors
Graduate Team: John and Cinnamon
About the Team: Cinnamon, a female yellow Lab, is John’s 3rd Guiding Eyes dog
Hometown: Chicopee, Massachusetts
Guide Dog Mobility Instructor: Andrea Martine
John is DeafBlind and was recently matched with his third Guiding Eyes dog, Cinnamon. He enjoys having a guide dog by his side, having benefited from dogs Belle and Damsel in previous years. Although the only specific request John has ever made is for a good match, he seems destined to be paired with female yellow Lab guides. This Massachusetts resident is a sports fan, that for the most part, roots for Boston teams. John has worked in maintenance and package assembly in the past, and hopes to work part-time again, someday in the future. Through email, John was asked to describe Cinnamon, how having a guide dog impacts his life, and a bit about his life and training with Cinnamon and instructor Andrea. John has shared the following.
I am a DeafBlind person. Two Guiding Eyes dogs are retired and now there is a new guide dog named Cinnamon. In my first meeting with Cinnamon, she was very excited and also when we were training each day. Yes, I am happy with Cinnamon. She is doing good and is friendly and gets excited to work. She is always licking my face and hands and still follows me upstairs and downstairs. Cinnamon looks happy being around me and at my home.
A guide dog is helpful to me when walking around and for having a good life. It is good to have a relationship with a guide dog. It is the best way for me, if family is not around me. I enjoy a guide dog for walking or hiking or going special places. Reading is easy on the computer and I enjoy sports, news or playing games like Bingo. I like the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Steelers and read books in braille, like the bible, fiction or history. I enjoy learning new things in training. Andrea is very good trainer.
Few things were challenging for Cinnamon; she was fearless and enthusiastic and awesome in everything she did. She woke up each morning ready to take on the world. I loved walks in the park with Cinnamon. She walked very well and we both enjoyed the time together. Cinnamon was extremely smart and learned everything very quickly. She kept me on my toes. Because she learned things so quickly, she was not a fan of repetition, so I had to come up with ways to keep her interested. I am sure that Cinnamon will be a devoted and dependable worker and an enthusiastic and loving companion.
Suzan Bocciarelli, Puppy Raiser of Cinnamon
Meet our other recent guide dog team graduates. Click here!
Friends and Family: Watch this video to learn more about Working with a Guide Dog Team.