A Guide With No Remote...Zeus' Story

Submitted by TWC employee Vickie Burke, Eastern Carolina 

I am a black labrador retriever named Zeus.  I have a unique story to share and a special job to do.  I hope you'll find my story entertaining and informative.

On September 29, 2003 at the Whelping Center in Patterson, New York I was born.  I found myself surrounded by about 80 puppies.  This center is a part of the Canine Development Center of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. For the first eight weeks of my life, I was cared for by people who really loved me.  I soon realized that I was a really special doggie.  Different people would come see me and we'd do fun things, such as going for walks. I would even get massages!  This was to help me get used to being touched.  Then one day, I was shown an umbrella and loud noises were made to see how I would respond.  I wondered why.  Soon my friends began leaving and I was sad.

Then, it was my turn to leave.  I was excited, frightened, and full of curiosity!  You see, I am a natural sniffer and there were so many new smells and things to see.  I was taken to Fishkill Prison when I was about two months old.  Now I was in a cell with a man I didn't know.   Other puppies and I were together in classes learning things such as sit, stay, come, here, and down.  I soon learned that if I did everything just right, the man would pet and praise me.  I wanted to please him so I really worked hard at learning what he wanted me to do.  I lived in a cell with him and we became buddies.  I loved him and the first time someone came to get me to take me out of the prison, I was afraid I wouldn't see my friend again.  But there were more new smells and sounds and more people to love me.  I went everywhere with them, shopping, to ball games, church , walks in the woods, and all the time I had to keep doing the things my friend was teaching me in the prison.  Then those nice people would take me back to my friend in the prison.

A couple times a month, I would leave the prison and experience new things.  This routine continued for about 15 months.  I grew to love my friend and I would lie under his desk while he worked.  In the evenings, we would play and practice my commands.  I knew I was a special dog and I knew I was loved.

One morning my friend took me to the gate and he was very sad. I didn't understand.  I had been to the gate before but not with my friend.  He hugged me and told me goodbye.  I was taken to a kennel which I shared with another dog.  We had to perform all our commands and do other things for people. We spent several days playing with a new person.  I was raised in the Puppies Behind Bars program started back in 1997.  My new friend said that families had been raising puppies for this school for many years and that if we made it to be guide dogs he would see his puppy raiser again. 

I wasn't sure about whether I would see my friend again or not since he never came outside with me.  I continued to wonder what a guide dog was.  Soon I found out.  A strange thing was put on my back and it felt heavy.  There were new things to learn, forward, right, left, straight, and something called intelligent disobedience.  That was hard.  I had to learn cars were dangerous and curbs and steps were important things to look out for.  What was the purpose of all this? I pondered when my day's training was done. This went on for about six months and I grew to love my trainers. This time there were several people who took me for walks.  We went on subways and crossed very busy streets and I had to learn to not walk too close to the edge of train platforms.  Then the big test came!  My trainer put something on her eyes and I had to do all the things I had learned.  I realized my job was to keep her safe because now when I looked at her with my big brown eyes she didn't look back at me. I understood that now my job was really important and I knew what a guide dog is.

One morning just before play time I was sleeping when my trainer came for me.  I had to walk with a strange lady who didn't look at me either.  She didn't have things over her eyes!  She knew a little about how to give me my commands but she wasn't sure about where we were going.  I was confused.  She did give me lots of praise so I guess I did good for her.

Suddenly my life changed forever!  After a hard day's work my trainer came for me.  She took me back to the same lady who I had walked with before.  This time I was left with her and I just had my leash.  What was happening? I was in a room with this lady and another lady who also had a dog she called Zeus. "But my name is Zeus," I thought.  The lady petted me and told me I was a good boy. She talked to me some more and called friends and said she had had a dog switch, whatever that is.  She said I was to be her guide dog.  We started working together back at the beginning as I did when I first started learning.  I just figured I had to teach her what to do.  We learned to work as a team and I took her to a train station where tracks were on each side of the platform.  Still our trainer was with us and she gave me the command "forward".  "NO!" I couldn't do that.  I just couldn't so I backed up and turned to my right.  Thankfully she followed me and we didn't fall off the side of the platform.  She didn't look into my eyes to praise me but I got plenty of hugs and I knew now she trusted me.  I was really going to be a guide dog!

One Saturday we didn't work in the morning and everyone was getting dressed up.  I got a new tag and my handler received a picture of us together that said I could go anywhere with her.  That was exciting!  After lunch there were lots of people and we all marched into a big room where we listened to speakers and my kennel mate's puppy raiser got a picture of him in his harness.  And, friends from the prison got a picture of me too!  I was so excited to see them.

My handler and I went to North Carolina on a big plane.   Now, everyday I go to Time Warner Cable with her and when I'm not sleeping I guide her around the building and occasionally get petted.  I have many friends there.  I also guide her in stores and to get the mail.  I'm a doggie who has made a great impact on her life as well as my puppy raiser friend at the prison.  I helped him to see how important he can be to society and I help my Mama feel more independent.  So when you see me walking around at Time Warner Cable, just ignore me and realize that my Mama, though different in how she gets around and does her work, just wants to be like everyone else.