Pat Clark This is Me

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1. 1. Lending a guiding hand

   www.gebbayregion.org/news/holm - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/31/2007   Last Visited: 12/31/2007

   Guiding Eyes places about 150 dogs with partners each year, said Pat Clark, a resident of Glenn Dale in Prince George's County who is a puppy evaluator for Guiding Eyes.
   
   The most important quality Guiding Eyes looks for in a potential raiser is commitment, Clark said. Raisers take an 8-week-old puppy and dedicate more than a year to its rearing. That's a lot of standing in the backyard in foul weather and fair, teaching the puppy to relieve itself on command.
   
   "Our job is to find the JoAnns of the world," Clark said. "People are willing to donate $25, but to donate 14 months of their life is difficult."
   
   Shortly after retiring as a lieutenant colonel from the Army nine years ago, Clark, 59, began raising her first of five Guiding Eyes puppies. In addition to her most recent puppy, a yellow Lab named Floyd who graduated as a full-fledged guide dog in September, Clark shares her home with Lamont, her third puppy, now grown and retired, who stays busy as a Guiding Eyes ambassador to school and scout groups. During his career, the black Labrador took his blind partner from New Jersey into Manhattan every day on the train.
   
   "You can't force dogs to work," Clark said. "They have to want it.
   
   Raising a guide dog requires time and attention.
   
   "You have to be able to take a puppy out every two hours" for potty training, Clark said.
   
   Dogs in training may legally go anywhere, Clark said. People with jobs as diverse as teaching and working for the federal government are among raisers who take their puppies to work.
   
   "We ask that the primary raiser be at least 13 years old, in that case, with an adult that comes to class," Clark said. "When the parent is the primary, then a younger child, a 10-year-old, can work with it."
   
   Raisers are responsible for their puppies' food, toys and leashes. Guiding Eyes provides all veterinary care and kennels. Raisers are encouraged to seek sponsors to help with the cost of the puppies' food, which is tax-deductible, Clark said.
   
   Guiding Eyes puppies are bred for robust health, intelligence and adaptability.
   ...
   All these experiences prepare the puppy to handle "anything out of the ordinary," Clark said.
   ...
   Communications volunteers can help attract new raisers, Clark said.
   
   Guiding Eyes dogs are retired around age 7, at which time the dog's partner may choose to keep the dog as a pet. If that is impossible, the dog's raiser is given the opportunity to adopt. If that doesn't work out, the dog is made available to a long waiting list of people. The wait for these dogs is about five years, Clark said.
   
   For information on the Guiding Eyes for the Blind program, visit guiding-eyes.org. To speak to Pat Clark, call 301-809-9683.

2. 2. CDC.GuidingEyes.Org - Contact Us

   cdc.guidingeyes.org/bin/contac - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/6/2007   Last Visited: 12/6/2007

   Pat Clark
   
   Regional Manager
   
   (301) 809-9683
   
   pclark@guidingeyes.org
   ...
   Pat Clark
   
   Regional Manager
   
   (301) 809-9683
   
   pclark@guidingeyes.org

3. 3. GuidingEyesBcweb.Org - Glimpses of GEB Dogs

   cdc.guidingeyes.org/bin/glimps - [Cached]

   Last Visited: 11/7/2006

   Under the watchful eyes of Brian and Cuyahoga Puppy Evaluator Pat Clark, Kellogg has a "grate" time exploring North Olmsted's many underfootings. Here he is exploring a metal grate.