Graduate Team: Sharon and Stephen
About the Team: Stephen, a male black German Shepherd; Sharon’s 5th guide dog and 3rd Guiding Eyes
Location: Vancouver, Washington
Training: October 2025 On-Campus
Sharon is a certified teacher of the visually impaired and holds a master’s degree in special education. She is also a Certified Orientation and Mobility (O&M) instructor and is one of the few legally blind individuals in the nation to have achieved this certification. Sharon has taught for 21 years, with 15 years as an O&M instructor. She serves as an adjunct professor at Portland State University in their O&M program and recently assisted in developing their DeafBlind curriculum. Sharon conducts night lessons and family nights for children and regularly presents at the Pacific Northwest AER (Association for Education and Rehabilitation), a professional organization for teachers of the blind and O&M instructors. Sharon is quite familiar with the journey a pup takes to be a guide. From ages 9 to 18, she raised puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind and interned for five years. Sharon shares a home with her partner, Aaron, retired guide dog Reagan, guide dog Stephen, and a basset hound named Jack, and they all enjoy hiking together.
How would you describe your guide dog? “Stephen is a tall black, 84-pound German Shepherd, and he gets along well with my retired guide, Reagan. Stephen loves playing with balls, and he can be a goofball sometimes. In harness, he settles well, can be very focused, and will work very hard for you. Now that he is used to going in and out of the schools, he is great with the children. He acknowledges they are there, and they love him. He works well with my training of O&M students, and can vary his walking pace to match the students’ pace.”
What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes? “I have always preferred German Shepherds and had two from other schools, then I learned Guiding Eyes also had Shepherds. I came to Guiding Eyes for my third dog, Jude, and appreciated the training style and the follow-up. They met my needs both personally and professionally with these last three German Shepherds. I am DeafBlind, and Guiding Eyes was still willing to provide me with a dog.”
How has a guide dog impacted your life? “I have the freedom to move around my community independently, which helps me function in my employment. I can get around from school to school confidently. I travel from city to city as needed for recreational activities, presentations, and my work. It gives you more confidence having a dog by your side, for example, when you are navigating an airport or crossing a busy intersection. I have been in the news in the past year because of Lyft ride refusals, but the positives outweigh the negatives. It is so much fun to go on walks with my dog. Until I met my partner 2 years ago, it was always just my dog and me going grocery shopping or running errands.”
Were there any training highlights? “I so enjoyed working with my trainer, Dan, in Mt. Kisco. There is a wide variety of streets that we could travel, which are similar to the streets where I live. Stacy and I were the only students who went into NYC, and it’s a good place to show you what your dog is capable of. We took a subway train and dealt with the chaos of all the building construction and scaffolding. We also walked in White Plains and Yorktown. I went under a blindfold with Stephen three times with trainers Dan and Michelle, to be sure that I was communicating correctly with Stephen and understanding his body language. Picking Guiding Eyes was the right school to support my work and my life.”
DOB: 7/18/2023
Litter ID: 1SS23
Color/Breed: Black/German Shepherd
Gender: Male
Brood: Hexa
Stud: Griffin FGDF
Littermates: Seuss, Sweeney, Angel, Sunny
Region: No-VA South
Regional Puppy Instructor: Madeline Bruggeman
Puppy Raiser: Dane & Susan Swenson, Lauren Hymon
Facebook: No-VA South Puppy Raisers
Special Recognition: Stephen was special named by Ruth Sidorowicz in honor of her grandson, Stephen Haswell Todd. We’re grateful for Ruth’s support and wish Stephen and Sharon the very best in their partnership.
Stephen’s greatest strengths were that he was so interactive with people and little kids (loves kids) – you can carry on a nonverbal communication with him. He’s smart, of course– a “thinking dog.” He was awesome in challenging situations. Stephen is amazing in so many ways: loud noises like thunderstorms, fireworks, construction, boat rides, elevators… His most enjoyable types of outings were beach time, big snows, and touring historical sites (MT Vernon). What we loved most about raising Stef, (our German nickname for him) is that he is so affectionate, a “cuddler”, people would stop their car or cross the street just to meet him. ~ Dane and Susan Swenson
