Brahms, left, and three other Labrador retriever puppies wait with their volunteer "Puppy Raisers" to board a flight at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. The puppies have completed this stage of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind program and must leave their "Puppy Raisers," and journey back to the Guiding Eyes headquarters for formal training to become guide dogs. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Volunteer "Puppy Raisers" from left, Lynette Gebhardt, Debbie Dugan, Leigh Goetzke and Debbie Roschli, attempt to wrangle their puppies on the tarmac for a photo at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. They will raise the puppies for a year for the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Grand, left, is awarded the Guiding Eyes Puppy Olympics 2022 gold medal and Kenji is awarded silver at the end of their Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation class at Talbot Community Center, in Easton, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. This game helps puppies become comfortable having something placed over their heads. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Queenie, an eight week old Labrador puppy, yawns in a warm sweater before the start of her Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation class with volunteer puppy raiser Debbie Dugan at St. Matthew's United Methodist Church, in Bowie, Md., Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Pierre, an 8-week-old German Shepard puppy, sleeps soundly after the flight and tarmac greet with his volunteer Puppy Raiser at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Pierre is in Guiding Eyes for the Blind program that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Kenji, a 13-week-old German Shepard puppy, looks to his Puppy Raiser Cindy Tait during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation class at Talbot Community Center, in Easton, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Pilots To The Rescue's Natalie Kelley holds and kisses Quincy an 8 week old Labrador puppy, as they arrive at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Quince of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program, will be handed off to her volunteer "Puppy Raiser." Guiding Eyes for the Blind provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Pilots To The Rescue "Top Dog" Michael Schneider gets puppy kisses from Moira, an 8 week old Labrador puppy, as they arrive at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Moira, part of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program, will be handed off to her volunteer "Puppy Raiser." Guiding Eyes for the Blind provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Pete, an 8-week-old German Shepard puppy, and Gin Owens, practice the free feeding command during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation puppy class at St. Matthew's United Methodist Church, in Bowie, Md., on Valentine's day, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. This command teaches a puppy to wait for food. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
A Guiding Eyes for the Blind tag Hans from Becket's, a young German Shepard, collar during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind big puppy class at Talbot Community Center, in Easton, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Volunteer puppy raiser Suzette Galyean works with 5-month-old German Shepard puppy Thunder during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind big puppy class at St. Matthew's United Methodist Church, in Bowie, Md., Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Moira, an 8 week old Labrador puppy, gives lots of puppy kisses to her Guiding Eyes for the Blind volunteer "Puppy Raiser" Debbie Roschli, at they meet on the tarmac moments after Moira arrived at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Roschli will raise Moira for a year as part of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Guiding Eyes for the Blind volunteer "Puppy Raiser" Debbie Roschli, plays with Moira, an 8 week old Labrador puppy, on the tarmac at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Roschli will raise Moira for a year as part of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Moira, an 8 week old Labrador puppy, zooms to the end of her leash held by Guiding Eyes for the Blind volunteer "Puppy Raiser" Debbie Roschli, as they play on the tarmac moments after Moira arrived at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Roschli will raise Moira for a year as part of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy program that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss and vision impairment at no cost to the recipient. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Kenji, a 13-week-old German Shepard puppy, looks up at puppy raiser Cindy Tait after she dressed him in rain boots during a Guiding Eyes for the Blind foundation class at Talbot Community Center, in Easton, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. This exercise helps a puppy get comfortable being handled. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Denali, a young Labrador retriever, waits with volunteer puppy raiser Carolyn Schaefer to board a Pilots to the Rescue flight at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Delani has completed this stage of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind program and must leave Schaefer his "Puppy Raiser" and journey back to the Guiding Eyes headquarters for formal training to become a guide dog. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Brahms is walked by volunteer puppy raiser Chris Bohmer to board a Pilots to the Rescue flight at Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022 Brahms has completed this stage of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind program and must leave Bohmer his "Puppy Raiser" and journey back to the Guiding Eyes headquarters for formal training to become a guide dog. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — Wiggles, kisses, and puppy breath.
Now, they are on a path to greatness — potentially as guide dogs that will transform the lives of people with vision loss and vision impairment.
The furry faithful-friends-to-be traveled aboard a “Pilots To The Rescue” flight from the Guiding Eyes for the Blind headquarters in Yorktown Heights, New York, where they were born and spent the first two months of their lives with their moms and siblings.
Although the young canines have been bred for health and temperament, it will require the expertise of the volunteer Puppy Raisers here to transform the excitable, wiggly youngsters into well-trained, well-mannered and well-socialized dogs.
The process will involve 14 to 16 months of weekly classes and evaluations. Training starts with the basics: name recognition, manners and commands such as “sit” and “down.” More complex commands are then taught before the puppies are introduced to the world by the raisers and the raisers’ families.
Cindy Tait, a regional manager for Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s Puppy Program, and others keep a watchful eye on the training and help with bumps along the way.
Once a solid, loving foundation is in place, puppies must leave their raisers and return to the Guiding Eyes training center for formal guide dog training. Formal training is where, ultimately, the dogs demonstrate whether they will become a guide for the blind, a different kind of service dog, or someone’s pet.
Denali is one of four bigger puppies placed aboard a return flight to Guiding Eyes the day the new recruits arrived. Tait got tears in her eyes as she watched Puppy Raiser Carolyn Schaefer say goodbye to the yellow lab and walk him to the plane.
“This is the hard part,” Tait said. But she said knowing a guide dog has the power to help people softens the blow.
Puppy raisers come back over and over. Tait has raised Roxanne, Katrina, Velour, Gus, Mystic, Oregon, Kelby, Tad, Eagle, Winnie, and now Kenji, her 11th guide dog puppy.
