Graduate Team: Joseph & Jamoca
About the Team: Jamoca, a female black Lab; Joseph’s 9th guide dog
Location: Sarasota, Florida/Hazlehurst, Wisconsin
Training: April 2025 Home Training
Joe was born and raised in White Plains, a stone’s throw from the Guiding Eyes campus. He attended grades 1 through 8 at LaValle School for the Blind and graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High School. He pursued his education at Alfred University in upstate New York, obtaining his undergraduate degree in mathematics. His educational interests took a major turn, and he pursued a law degree from Cornell University. Prior to his retirement at 63, nearly twenty years ago, Joe was employed by New York City, practicing law in the city’s real estate division. He taught federal jurisdiction and criminal law at the University of Baltimore School of Law for three years. He then moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he taught contracts, admiralty, and special education law for 28 years at Nova Southeastern University. He and his wife, Alice, have been married for fifty-five years. Joe humorously says that they met on a blind date during their college years. In the past, Joe has enjoyed snow skiing, tandem biking and hiking. He and his wife enjoy reading, utilizing audiobooks, in the car and at dinner so they can discuss them, via their own impromptu book club. They enjoy historical novels, mysteries, and Civil War non-fiction reading. Joe and Alice also enjoy traveling. Their trip to New Zealand was his favorite, highlighted by hiking the storied Milford Trek. They have also participated in civil war and revolutionary war adult education programs offered by Cornell and Stanford University. Joe is blind as a result of Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, which impacted his vision at a very early age. He received his first guide dog in 1969. Jamoca is Joe’s 9th guide dog from Guiding Eyes.
How would you describe your guide dog? “Jamoca is somewhat different from my previous guide dogs. She is sweet and affectionate, but she is a little more laid back and self-contained. The transition was a little longer than with any of my other dogs.
What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes? “A friend many years ago got his guide dog from Guiding Eyes, and he was very happy with the outcome. So, I pursued Guiding Eyes and met their staff. It was an easy decision each time.”
How has having a guide dog impacted your life? “I was never a polished cane user. I commuted and worked in New York City. The speed and movement I gained with a guide dog was astonishing. My guide dogs have also enabled me to meet people who are more social around a dog, plus I just feel safer.”
Were there any training highlights? “Jamoca had some difficulty adjusting to the Florida heat, but we are in Wisconsin for the summer, and she has perked up. I was surprised when I first got her that she thought that if we were not in bed or on a couch, they belonged to her. That has not happened in Wisconsin. Thanks to Dave H., my Home Training instructor, she has taken to country routes seamlessly.”
DOB: 5/21/2023
Litter ID: 5JJ23
Color/Breed: Black/Labrador
Gender: Female
Brood: Helen
Stud: Denny
Littermates: Jedi, Jacques, Jerome, Jackie, Jeter
Region: North Carolina
Regional Puppy Instructor: Kerry Lemeris
Puppy Raiser: The Behringer Family
Facebook: North Carolina Puppy Raisers
Raising Jamoca was a heartwarming journey filled with joy and adventure. She was a sweet and chubby puppy with a calm and laid-back personality. She had a special love for climbing and would often nap on the porch pillars as a puppy. Jamoca adored water and loved to swim and kayak. Embracing it with the same relaxed spirit she brought to everything. Meeting new people and exploring new places never phased her -bshe remained cool, calm, and collected. She moved through life slowly and deliberately, always taking her time, even pausing mid-walk to chew her kibble before moving on. Her presence is soothing, her pace unhurried, and her love unmistakable. ~ Jennifer Behringer
