Megan and Fulton

Meet Graduate Megan

Graduate Team: Megan and Fulton
About the Team: Fulton, a male black Lab, is Megan’s 3rd Guiding Eyes dog
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Training:  June 2023 On-Campus

Megan was born and raised in Medicine Hat, a city in Alberta Canada, located along the South Saskatchewan River. Now in her retirement, she calls Calgary, Alberta home. Megan earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture over the border at Montana State University. She had been diagnosed with juvenile glaucoma at a young age and her vision loss has progressed to where she has no vision in her right eye and limited in her left. She has one daughter, Kady, who lives in Switzerland. Megan recently traveled overseas to visit Kady and they toured the country via their public transportation system. She enjoyed her time there and hopes to return to Switzerland in the future accompanied by her guide dog Fulton. Megan’s hobbies and interests include hiking, fishing for trout – especially in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, quilting, and reading. She particularly enjoys mysteries, true crime stories, history, and biographies. Fulton is Megan’s third guide dog from Guiding Eyes.

How would you describe your guide dog? “Fulton is an amazing guide dog. He is young, but very mature and good at everything he is asked to do. During our very first walk at the beginning of training, it seemed like we had been working as a team for years. He always remains calm and professional.  When he is not working, he can be very funny. He is not a big fan of water and getting wet and will go out of his way to avoid puddles to keep us both dry.” 

What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes? “A long time ago, maybe 30 years or so, there was this incredible woman teaching me braille, and believe it or not she had a guide dog also named Fulton from Guiding Eyes.  My first dog from Guiding Eyes was Gage, followed by Briana, and to my amazement I now have a Fulton of my own.”

How has having a guide dog impacted your life? “The independence, freedom, and speed of travel that my guide dogs provide is amazing. I know it sounds cliché, nonetheless it is the wonderful reality. The social piece that a guide dog brings is an added benefit. People like to ask questions and interact more.”

Were there any training highlights? “Dan, my trainer, was very funny and brought great levity to our training. He recognized that I didn’t like following rules and with a humorous approach got me engaged with the training procedures required. He was even able to keep me calm in stressful situations, when we were doing route training in the City of White Plains, and in Cold Spring dealing with a smoky haze that blanketed the area due to the Canadian wildfires. We focused on fluidity and teamwork in situations where we traveled among bicyclists and other environmental distractions. The campus kitchen staff and food were amazing. The entire staff knew what to do and say to relax us. In fact, a one-hour yoga class was offered by a licensed occupational therapist to help the class participants with muscular stress, resulting from the use of muscles not routinely utilized. It was readily apparent throughout training that the puppy raiser for Fulton did a tremendous job socializing him with people and other animals.”

Meet Guide Dog Fulton

DOB:  12/22/2020
Litter ID: 7F320
Color/Breed:  Black/Labrador
Gender: Male
Brood: Mercy
Stud: Dasher
Littermates: Fairlee, Forest, Florie, Flower, Fanta, Fay
Region:  Delmarva
Regional Puppy Instructor: Cindy Tait
Puppy Raiser:  Madeline E. Delgado
Facebook: Delmarva Puppy Raisers

Photos of the Team…