Mary and Lentil

Meet Graduate Mary

Graduate Team: Mary and Lentil
About the Team: Lentil – Female black Lab, Mary’s 1^st guide dog
Location: Rio Hondo, Texas
Training: February 2025 On-Campus

Mary is a retired licensed practical nurse who worked in a hospital emergency room for twenty years and provided home health care for the elderly. In 2015, a very rare side effect from a medication caused Mary to become totally blind. Due to her vision loss, Mary could no longer continue her career in healthcare. Mary came to Guiding Eyes to receive her first guide dog, Lentil. However, this is not her first experience with guide dogs; her husband, Phillip, received a guide dog named Jayla in the fall of 2024. Mary and Phillip have been married for four years. Mary has one daughter, who is finishing up her PHD in English Literature and Cultural Studies. Mary is interested in various church activities and actively helps with her husband’s charity, The White Cane Project. She is also involved in her latest charitable endeavor, “Two Blind Mice.” This initiative focuses on advocating for barrier-free sidewalks, which include strategically placed curb cuts and audible pedestrian crosswalks.

How would you describe your guide dog? “Lentil is very calm and obedient. She takes instruction seriously and immediately. She is all business when it comes to work. She is a great guide dog.”

What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes?  “My husband’s experience with Guiding Eyes was so positive. I fell in love with the success my husband had working with his guide dog.”

How has having a guide dog impacted your life? “I have gained so much more independence and freedom.  I no longer have to hold on to someone when going out. I like to walk fast and go to different places. Elevators and entrance doors encountered are no longer an obstacle. He gets me through all types of doors. She is even trained to help me get our mail, which is quite a distance from our home as we have a large piece of property.”

Were there any training highlights? “Despite the cold, horrible weather I experienced in New York, the last day of training when I walked independently into a Walmart was a wonderful highlight, because it had been many years since I was last able to do so. Lentil took me around the snow and ice during the duration of our training walks. Kat and Dan were incredible instructors. Shout out to both Chef Rob and nurse Donna. They were the best. There were only six graduates in our class, enabling each of us to receive a lot of attention. Mike, my remote trainer who came to my home, was fabulous and helped me a lot.”

Meet Guide Dog Lentil

DOB:  2/6/2023
Litter ID: 6L23
Color/Breed:  Black/Labrador
Gender: Female
Brood: Nadine
Stud: Carbon
Littermates: Lulu, Lightning, Lady, Lisa, Limo, Lunar, Legend, Luau, Lassie
Region:  Montgomery
Regional Puppy Instructor: Jeanyne Gembarski
Puppy Raiser:  Bobbie & Jim Havel
Facebook: Montgomery Puppy Raisers

Photos of the Team…