After graduating from high school, many teens spend their days before heading off to college hanging out with their friends and making the most of their summer. While Morgan Kowalski of Ohio definitely had fun after she graduated in 2018, she was looking for something more to do with her time.
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What she really wanted was to get involved with something “service related,” so she applied to train puppies for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Not long after, she was accepted and began taking in pups as young as 8 weeks old to raise them – and train them to become guide dogs for the blind!
This wasn’t just a summer project for her either. These days, Morgan is double majoring in biology and education, working at her community recreation center, and training the dogs. To say she has a full plate is an understatement!
As a Guiding Eyes for the Blind trainer, she teaches pups the basics, including how to behave in public, socialize, and respond to commands like down and sit. The puppies live with her and go on errands with her so they can practice their skills with other humans and animals around.
Morgan frequently takes them to places like Target and Marshalls, but her dogs’ favorite spot is Starbucks because they get delicious treats!
Her first pup, a yellow Labrador retriever named Becky, spent nearly a year and a half with Morgan. During that time, they formed a tight bond, so it wasn’t easy to part ways when Becky was ready to go to the Guiding Eyes for the Blind center in New York.
“I cried a lot when I left her, but she was happy, so I felt better,” Morgan said.
Becky went on to graduate from the program and was recently paired with a man named Erick. Morgan posted a picture of the two of them online, writing, “I couldn’t have picked a more perfect match.” Best of all, everyone who is paired with a dog through Guiding Eyes for the Blind gets the service free of charge!
Morgan is doing so much for the blind community and has certainly fulfilled her service-oriented mission. After all, what could be better than training tiny pups and seeing them change someone’s life for the better?
Learn more about Guiding Eyes for the Blind on their website, and be sure to share this story with your friends.
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