Alex Rice ’13: Minda has become a familiar face in the Upper school. The adorable black lab puppy can often be found with IV Form Dean and math teacher Cheryl McLauchlan, usually sleeping in McLauchlan’s office. While many students and teachers know Minda well, few know much about the program that made it possible for this canine to become a part of our community.
McLauchlan stated that Minda is in training to become a seeing-eye dog. This training program gives puppies to volunteer owners, who raise and train the dogs to become seeing-eye dog candidates.
For the volunteer owners, this process not only entails the normal housetraining of a puppy, but also requires that the dogs are taught calm, obedient behavior.
Furthermore, the dogs must be acclimated to loud, crowded places. Bringing Minda to school is an ideal training tool since the Upper School is a bustling place where Minda gets to interact with many students and faculty each day
When asked what sparked her interest in raising these puppies, McLauchlan replied, “It was Mrs. [Susan] Swanson [Director of Community Outreach]’s idea initially. At first, I thought it was a terrible idea – this is a school, not a kennel. When Swanson got her first dog though, I saw the effect that it had not only on the seeing-eye program, but also on the community here. Seeing this made me want nothing more than to be a part of raising the puppies.”
According to McLauchlan, “The hardest part of raising these puppies is having to let them go again so soon…that’s the point, though. We are supposed to love them and raise them, and then let them go help people.”
For the volunteer owners, this process not only entails the normal housetraining of a puppy, but also requires that the dogs are taught calm, obedient behavior. Furthermore, the dogs must be acclimated to loud, crowded places. Bringing Minda to school is an ideal training tool since the Upper School is a bustling place where Minda gets to interact with many students and faculty each day
When asked what sparked her interest in raising these puppies, McLauchlan replied, “It was Mrs. [Susan] Swanson [Director of Community Outreach]’s idea initially. At first, I thought it was a terrible idea – this is a school, not a kennel. When Swanson got her first dog though, I saw the effect that it had not only on the seeing-eye program, but also on the community here. Seeing this made me want nothing more than to be a part of raising the puppies.”
Students who have attended EA in the past have likely noticed several other dogs with both McLauchlan and Swanson. From Zelda to Neeta, these puppies have attracted much attention in their brief times at Episcopal. While both their owners and the students love them dearly, they only stay with their owners for less than a year.
According to McLauchlan, “The hardest part of raising these puppies is having to let them go again so soon…that’s the point, though. We are supposed to love them and raise them, and then let them go help people.”