Graduate Team: Martha and Quinnah
About the Team: Quinnah, a female yellow lab; Martha’s second Guiding Eyes dog
Location: Arlington, Massachusetts
Training: January 2026 On-Campus
Martha lives in a suburb of Boston. Quinnah is her second Guiding Eyes guide dog, a female yellow Labrador; her previous dog was Alvin. Martha retired in 2015 after a career in environmental public health. She is an active volunteer who serves on the boards of both the Carroll Center for the Blind and the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Martha acquired her first guide dog, Alvin, in 2015, while she still had limited vision. Between 2015 and 2021, she maintained some functional vision, but then experienced total vision loss. Martha was diagnosed with Usher syndrome many years ago, which also affects hearing. Martha remains active, enjoying daily walks, birding with her husband, and traveling. She has traveled throughout the Americas and Europe.
How would you describe your guide dog? “Quinnah is very sweet and playful. She and her retired ‘guide dog brother’, Alvin, are great pals, although she does have a different personality from Alvin. Quinnah is very attentive and attached to me. She wants to do well and always do the right thing. She is very earnest, and I know she is working really hard. She is quite something.”
What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes? “I talked to several people to understand their pros/cons and reflected on whether or not a guide dog was a good fit for me. Most people recommended Guiding Eyes, and I appreciated the success Guiding Eyes has had with both vision and hearing loss. They were the better choice.”
How has having a guide dog impacted your life? “Freedom! That is the one word I would say. It’s a blissful feeling to be so free, and 95% of the time, we will be walking in a familiar place that Quinnah knows. These dogs learn routes quickly and will usually find places, like the gym or dentist, after only one visit to the location. I really look forward to teaching Quinnah these routes.”
Were there any training highlights? “Quinnah has a different step, a different cadence, but we are both anxious to get to know each other better. With Alvin, I had 3 weeks of training, but with Quinnah, I had a 2-week class. The first week, the weather was cold but clear. The second week, it snowed, so we were not able to do as much outdoor walking. On follow-up training at home, the regional instructor worked with us on a very challenging route and commented that if we can do this walk, we can do anything.”
DOB: 7/14/2023
Litter ID: 6QQ23
Color/Breed: Yellow/Labrador Retriever
Gender: Female
Brood: Juniper
Stud: Perry
Littermates: Qbert, Quartet, Quake, Quiz
Region: Montgomery
Regional Puppy Instructor: Jeanyne Gembarski
Puppy Raiser: The Seibert-Wright Family
Facebook: Montgomery Puppy Raisers
Quinnah was a delight to raise! We also raised her mother, Juniper, and Quinnah clearly inherited her mother’s love for people. Quinnah enjoyed all sorts of outings, but her favorite was undoubtedly going to yoga twice a week and socializing with her human classmates — several of whom still ask when she’s coming back! Quinnah was also popular with the canine crowd, and loved her playtime with the local GEB dogs including our pet dog Polly (released); in fact, we asked Polly for her canine assessment of Quinnah, and she responded: “Outstanding for a yellow lab! Runs fast! Shares toys!”. We’re excited Quinnah will be a guide, and send all our best wishes to the new team! ~ Catherine Seibert and Fred Wright
