a dog trained as a running guide as well as for
basic navigation. The organization currently has
44 active running guide dogs in 18 states and
about 40 people waiting for one.
The organization has a residential program at
its campus in Yorktown Heights, just north of
New York City, where clients learn to work with
their guide dogs. Guiding Eyes estimates that it
costs about $50,000 to raise and train each dog
and provide a lifetime of care, with all funding
from donations.
“There are a lot of challenges to be able to
provide people with a guide dog right now,”
Panek said. “We have many dogs that are fully
trained and ready to go but we have not been
able to match them because of travel restrictions
and quarantines.”
When a handler graduates from Guiding Eyes,
trainers continue to provide support.
“They go home, learn the route they want to run,
and we go and certify it,” said Mike Racioppo,
a running guides specialist from Guiding Eyes
who was at the home of handler Megan Hale in
the Albany suburb of West Sand Lake recently.
“We want to make sure the dog can do it safely.”
Hale, a 19-year-old college student planning
a career in adaptive physical education, has
a congenital visual impairment that made
her reliant on running partners for track team
practice in high school. She has been running
with a guide dog for two years.
“It’s nice having Hero because I can just grab the
harness and run,” Hale said as the pale yellow
Lab stood placidly beside her. “I don’t have to
wait for someone and trust that they’re staying
safe and following the virus protocols.”