FAMILY'S 'FOSTER KID' HAS 4 LEGS PUPPY PREPARED FOR CAREER.

Byline: Karen Thacker Special to the Daily News

PALMDALE - Tomassa's gentle nature and friendly demeanor have become regular features at the Lockheed Martin Palmdale plant.

The 4-month-old golden retriever pup, in training to become a guide dog for the blind, comes to work every day with Bob McGregor, who is preparing her to be around people in a wide range of situations.

``There's no shortage of people who want to take care of her for the afternoon,'' McGregor said of the dog. ``It also provides a nice break in activity with a dog here.''

Since she was 8 weeks old, Tomassa has lived with McGregor; his wife, Sheryl; and their daughter, Jenny. The pup came from the nonprofit Guide Dogs for the Blind organization, which relies on volunteers to raise and give basic training to specially bred pups until they are 13 to 18 months old and returned for specialized training. If Tomassa does well, one day she will be trained alongside a blind partner she will serve.

Jenny McGregor, 11 years old, was the family's motivator for raising a guide-dog trainee.

``My cat doesn't pay any attention to me, so I need a dog,'' the father quoted Jenny as saying. ``So I suggested puppy-sitting. I didn't expect that we would have a dog full-time, but it turned out that way - and her conspiracy is that after a year she'll say, now can we have our own?''

Jenny is the primary trainer and took care of Tomassa over the summer. Now that Jenny is back in school, her dad simply brings the pup to work.

``We teach her basic commands: sit down, wait, do your business. We do house-training and leash-training,'' McGregor said. ``(Guide dogs) must be good around people, so we take her everywhere with us - stores, hospitals, Target, Costco, church.''

Tomassa wears a green vest with a logo announcing her status as a guide dog puppy in training.

The McGregors are surprised by the number of people who have a basic working knowledge of guide dogs.

Guide Dogs for the Blind officials suggest you should never offer food or treats to a guide dog and ask the handler if you may pet the animal. Guide dogs are fed on a schedule and should not deviate from routine, so they can remain alert and focused on their main duty.

An Antelope Valley club helps prepare people to care for a special pup.

``They need to go through training with card-carrying guide dog leaders,'' Brickner said about pups' caretakers. ``They must be interviewed to know how to train the dog while sitting with him.''

Cathy Brickner has been providing such training through the club and 4-H projects affiliated with the club for 31 years.

At Lockheed Martin, McGregor's co-worker Dawn Murad also has a guide dog in training, and she has a number of helpers already prepared to take a turn.

Even though Guide Dogs for the Blind breeds its own golden and Labrador retrievers and German shepherds, some dogs will need a career change if they are not gentle enough or obviously dislike taking commands. There are always long waiting lists for such dogs and no shortage of homes. Brickner recalls one dog that failed as a guide dog but became useful at sniffing out drugs.

The hard aspect of the arrangement for the volunteers is parting with each dog they've loved and trained for a year.

``That's the biggest catch to the whole thing. ... You have to promise to give the puppy back when it's due to go back,'' said Brickner. ``Remember, this is not your dog; this is Guide Dogs' dog.''

People interested in volunteering to raise a pup can contact Brickner at [phone]. Please do not call, however, if you want a dog to keep, Brickner said.

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(1 -- 2 -- color) Jenny McGregor, 11, and her parents are raising 4-month- old Tomassa who, when grown, will be trained for guide dog service.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer