WET-NOSE BRIGADE TRAINING A PUP TO BECOME SOMEONE ELSE'S EYES IS A FULL-TIME JOB.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
LAKEVIEW TERRACE - There are no lower branches on Mary Bovier's Christmas tree Christmas tree Evergreen tree, usually decorated with lights and ornaments, to celebrate the Christmas season. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as symbols of eternal life was common among the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. - not with the new house guest that arrived Friday. Her name's Melody and she's a beautiful yellow lab puppy that will melt your heart. But puppies and Christmas trees don't mix. Bovier learned that a few Christmases ago when J.Q., a golden retriever golden retriever, breed of large sporting dog developed primarily in Scotland in the mid-19th cent. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 60 to 75 lb (27.2–34.1 kg). puppy, moved in and headed straight for the tree. ``This is my fourth guide dog, so I know what to expect now,'' said Bovier, a retired Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. administrator who lives in Lakeview Terrace. ``When Louise called and said I'd be getting another dog on Dec. 21, I knew I had to get a high tree this Christmas.'' Louise is Louise Henderson Dame Louise Henderson, DBE was born (1902) and raised in Paris. In 1925 she emigrated to New Zealand and settled with her husband in Christchurch, New Zealand where she began studies at the Canterbury School of Art. , puppy department manager for Guide Dogs of America in Sylmar. She's very popular. On Friday, she gave 10 lab puppies to 10 guide dog trainers, like Bovier and Judy Reilly in La Crescenta, who will be working overtime the next 18 months to transform their dogs into eyes for the blind. I'm going to be dropping in Dropping in is a skateboarding trick with which a skateboarder can start skating a half-pipe by dropping into it from the coping instead of starting from the bottom and pumping gradually for more speed. on them from time to time to see how the dogs are coming along, because it's no sure bet they'll actually graduate. About half the dogs - golden retrievers and labs - wash out, Henderson said. ``I think the ones who don't make it are the ones who don't want to make it,'' said Reilly, who will be training Macy, her second guide dog. Her first, Abby, a golden retriever, copped an attitude and flunked out. ``She lasted nine weeks after she left me, then I got her back,'' she said. ``She wasn't focused and patient enough. Goldens are a lot sillier than labs. Hopefully, Macy will make it.'' If a dog flunks out, it goes back to the trainer to keep unless it's a dog someone has sponsored; then the sponsor gets first crack at owning it. If neither person can take the dog, it goes to someone on a Guide Dogs of America list, which now has a wait of about five years, Henderson said. ``Sometimes people can't have more than one dog, and they won't take back the dog they already trained so they can raise another puppy,'' she said. Training guide dogs is not a leisurely, part-time job, Bovier and Reilly tell friends who express an interest in doing the same thing. It's full-time work. ``The dog becomes an extension of your left arm,'' Bovier said. ``Melody will be going with me everywhere. It's an interesting experience walking into your ophthalmologist's office with a Seeing-Eye dog seeing-eye dog: see guide dog. .'' Reilly says you need to be committed and have a lot of discipline to be a successful guide dog trainer. ``You're working with them all the time, teaching them commands and movements,'' she said. ``Sometimes, to be honest, it's a pain in the butt. ``But then you think of how this dog you're training is going to change someone's life so dramatically, and you know it's all worth it.'' Bovier took Melody home with her Friday to meet J.Q., her golden who washed out. Reilly took home Macy to meet Abby, who also flunked. It'll take a few days for the dogs to get used to each other in their new homes with the Christmas trees that have no lower branches. ``I'll spend a lot of time the first few weeks walking her on a leash and cuddling her, then we'll learn to sit and carry out other commands,'' Bovier said. In a few months, the dogs will be ready for an outing with the other puppies in their training class. ``We take them out on training trips, camping, boating and other opportunities that allow the dogs to socialize so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. in different situations,'' Bovier said. ``After the dogs are socialized so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. , then we (the trainers) can socialize,'' she added, laughing. I'll check back on Melody and Macy in March. The class is scheduled to do a little socializing whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation (cf. bird watching) but the activity can also be for scientific or educational reasons. . CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Mary Bovier of Lake View Terrace gets a kiss Friday from 8-week-old Melody, the enthusiastic yellow labrador retriever Labrador retriever, breed of large sporting dog whose origins are obscure but whose immediate ancestors were developed in Newfoundland and brought to England in the early 1800s. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 60 and 75 lb (27. puppy she'll raise and train for Guide Dogs of America. (2) Melody, a future guide dog for the blind for Guide Dogs of America, listens to commands from Mary Bovier, her trainer for the next 18 months. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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