Edward and Gwen

Meet Graduate Edward

Graduate Team: Edward and Gwen
About the team: Gwen: a female Black & Tan German Shepherd; Edward’s 1st guide dog
Location: New York & Nevada
Training: December 2024 Home Training

Edward is a United States Air Force veteran and a retired general surgeon. Throughout his long career, he has devoted himself to enhancing the well-being of others, including during his time serving as a Medical Director, VP in the health insurance industry. Edward and his wife, Sandi, frequently travel, splitting their time between New York and Nevada. In addition to the advantages of Gwen’s valuable skills as a guide dog, they have enjoyed her companionship since she joined them. However, Edward jokes he is now outnumbered with another female in the house. In his free time, he enjoys listening to audiobooks and traveling with his wife.

How would you describe your guide dog? “Gwen is great. She’s cuddly. She even interacts differently if it’s Sandi or me. The main thing is that she has a job to get me out of the house. When she is on harness, she acts one way. If she’s just on a leash, then she behaves differently with whoever is holding the leash. If she doesn’t have a leash or a harness, she is the fastest dog running I’ve ever seen. It all depends on what she has to do. She knows when she’s working or when she’s not working. She loves to play catch. It’s unbelievable! The first thing she does in the morning is grab a ball from somewhere and drop it at your feet to throw it. She loves it! She would do it all day long. The book from her raisers had a picture of her as a pup with a ball in her mouth on the cover. She’s also great in her crate. She picks the time she wants to turn in at night. I take a handful of goodies, and she gets right in her crate and lies down. It’s a ritual.”

What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes? “I enjoyed how they brought Gwen out to me for Home Training. The instructor, Jolene, brought her to my home, and it was great! She did our training in person for the week to ten days she was here. She has kept in touch through emails (and once in a while, calling) to give me new information. Guiding Eyes has been great with the follow-up! Jolene was great.”

How has having a guide dog impacted your life? “In my New York and my Nevada homes, I know every inch, where anything is, and I can walk through the house and all the property on my own. If I’m out of one of those two places, I can’t do anything on my own. I have to go with someone. With Gwen, I’m comfortable. She’s been a great thing for me. Without her, it would limit my ability to do what I’m doing. Having Gwen, we take her out to dinner to restaurants with us, but I’ve also gone through two casinos in Nevada. I had managed a bunch of casinos in Nevada, so I took Gwen with some friends to show her where I worked. We took her through the whole place, all the stores, the parking lot, absolutely everything, and then we took her into one of the restaurants to have dinner. I’m not afraid to take her anywhere! We have a good relationship, and she is a big help when I’m going to Costco or a casino or anywhere else. It makes it easier for me, not crashing into things or people.”

Were there any training highlights? “Jolene thought it was important for Gwen and me to go to various places. We went to Costco with her so she could learn how to lead me through the store. She took me into Dillard’s and other big businesses, and we walked through them together. She wanted me to learn how to use an escalator and all of these different things. Jolene didn’t pick places for me. She asked where we could go today, and we went from there. I’d take her to areas where we could walk Gwen for exercise. Gwen and I do all of that stuff. We can go anywhere.”

Meet Guide Dog Gwen

DOB:  1/10/2023
Litter ID: 1G23
Color/Breed:  Black & Tan/German Shepherd
Gender: Female
Brood: Mittzy
Stud: Flynn
Littermates:  Gussie, Dondie, Glenna, Gentry, Gretel
Region:  Westchester NY
Regional Puppy Instructor: Elizabeth Vacchiano
Puppy Raiser:  Karen van den heuvel and Julie Knitter
Facebook: Westchester Puppy Raisers

From the Puppy Raiser…

Many, many, many, many (ok, like 23 many’s) labs/retrievers later, we were seduced… by the ears! As our first German Shepherd, Gwen, had some big paws to live up to! She came to us with two floppy ears that were just as goofy as she was! As she started growing and learning, she became a lefty: righty was still flopping and goofing off – even cuter! Over time, as she matured, they both popped up to attention. OK, just as cute! Despite some differences, she exuded the same qualities as all of our pups in training, regardless of their breed, most importantly – devotion. Those ears are now hard at work, guiding Ed to see many, many, many, many new possibilities. We are so excited to be part of this incredible journey!  ~Julie Knitter & Karen Van Den Heuvel

Photos of the Team…