Since receiving his golden lab “Ted” in May, Antonio Fotualii (age 29) has fewer restrictions and more choices. Antonio lives on Capitol Hill in Seattle, is a Type 1 diabetic who was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy at the age of … Read more
Tag: guide dog
Raising a GDA puppy
July 9, 2019I have to admit that when I first brought home an adorable little puppy named Kiwi, one thought running through my head was that it was going to break my heart to give her up. And I did cry when … Read more
Toxic Household Items for Dogs
June 5, 2019Do you have an inquisitive pooch living in your home with you? Most dog owners are switched on enough to keep the harmful things out of reach, but pups can be pretty persistent if they want to get a hold … Read more
“I just want to show everyone what we can do when we have faith.” – Derek Rabelo, Guide Dogs of America Graduate Class #405
January 7, 2019by Zachary Gittlen GDA graduate Derek Rabelo has always been close with his father. “I may make fun of his big belly now, but we are best friends. He’s my hero and he has always encouraged me to do anything.” … Read more
Team Jirby: A Trip to the Dentist
September 20, 2018As you can imagine, a flood of questions bombarded my mind. What will I do with Kirby when I am getting my teeth cleaned or while I am having x-rays? Where will he sit? Will he be worried? Then I … Read more
Tom Olzak’s GDA Story
August 31, 2018Tom Olzak was first introduced to Guide Dogs of America (GDA) at a California Council for the Blind convention in 2004. It was there that a GDA instructor offered Tom to take one of our guide dogs for a test … Read more
Team Jirby: “New Family”
August 30, 2018Kirby’s puppy raiser is his Puppy Mama! Her name is Jennifer Beuhler. I never anticipated meeting Kirby’s puppy raiser and then instantly becoming family! On the day of Graduation I had no idea of what I was about to experience … Read more
Transit Day for Guide Dog Pups!
August 13, 2018Puppies trained to become guide dogs practice public transit etiquette in Central Park Puppy raisers from the Sylmar puppy raising group recently had the unique opportunity to expose their foster puppies-in-training to three different busses, and they had the busses … Read more
Team Jirby’s Miracle Journey: They Had Me At Hello!
July 19, 2018When I arrived at GDA, they had me at hello! I met the trainers who understood my vision, met the people in my class, I realized that I was in the right place at the right time. Kirby was my … Read more
“How do you give up your puppy?”
July 6, 2018The most frequent comment I got when I was out in public with Kirby besides, “oh my gosh he’s so cute,” was, “how can you give him up? I could never do that.” To be honest, when I started this … Read more
