There is never a dry eye in the house when a local nonprofit organization celebrates pairings between visually-impaired clients and dogs.
That has been proven 499-straight times.
But the latest Guide Dogs for the Blind’s graduation was extra special — not only was it the 500th ceremony to be held at the Boring campus, but also had official kudos via the city of Gresham.
“Every graduation is special, magical, but today is just a little bit more so,” said Guide Dogs CEO/President Chris Benninger. “Thank you all for being here today.”
The milestone ceremony was held Saturday afternoon, Aug. 24, in Boring, 32901 S.E. Kelso Road. It was a busy day of pomp and circumstance for the latest clients, as well as activities for the many community members who attended the special celebration. Because of the special occasion, there were nearly three times the number of people in attendance and hundreds more watching via a livestream.
And the proceedings, and organization, got an official stamp of approval. Susan Armstrong read a proclamation from Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall that officially makes Aug. 24 Guide Dogs for the Blind Graduation Day.
“That shows how important this all is to the community,” Armstrong said.
First those new dog pairings were honored and cheered for as they took the main stage to talk about their journeys. The Oregon Class 500 were: Afron Abdo, Bradley Badger, Tamara Boccaccio, Cathy Lamb, Dr. Tara Perry, and Alisha Ziska. Many of the puppy raisers also spoke about the process and what the dogs were like when they were young.
“How do you raise a dog and let someone else have them — I praise you guys,” Lamb said.
“Our puppy raisers welcome these puppies into their homes and lives,” added Mallary Hoefer, class supervisor. “All of our volunteers help in every piece of our mission.”
Hoefer shared some statistics from the 500 classes of dogs that have graduated from the rigorous program: 3,606 pairings in Boring (not including the six newest ones); 229,000 meals served to clients (all of them raved about the food); and more than 2.1 million “poops scooped.”
Then there was a guide dog training demonstration; two eight-week-old puppies, Winchell who is heading to Lake Oswego and Will bound for Hood River, met their volunteer raisers for the first time; and there were tours of the campus grounds.
It was fun for visitors to explore the sprawling campus, which debuted in 1995 due to a need to meet increased demand for guide dogs.
There are all sorts of buildings in Boring, dedicate to training and caring for the dogs of all ages, including an obstacle training course. There are also residential spaces for the clients — when paired with a dog they stay on campus to learn all the techniques of navigating the world with a pup at your side.
“Guide Dogs gives us the power to pick up the harness and go,” Abdo said. “They say, ‘Here is a dog, now go on any adventure you desire.’”
Each class goes through a six-week training. And the members are all from different walks of life — for some it is their first pairing while others have gone through several partner dogs.
“Now it is time to go home and explore,” Boccaccio said.
Guide Dogs for the Blind does not charge clients for being paired with a dog, and operates without government dollars. Instead the nonprofit organization relies solely on donations and a robust volunteer system to support the visually impaired. In more than 80 years, the group has completed more than 16,000 pairings.
That support also extends beyond the pairing and training — Guide Dogs covers any expenses related to veterinary care.
East Multnomah County residents should be intimately aware of the nonprofit organization. The dogs are often in Downtown Gresham training with handlers, including venturing into Guide Dog partner businesses.
Learn more about the organization online at guidedogs.com
Meet the Guide Dogs for the Blind Oregon Class 500
Afron Abdo, from Minneapolis, paired with Ergo, a male black labrador retriever, raised by Amanda Hinkle of Cresswell.
“This dog is absolutely amazing, you can tell he was loved from day one,” Abdo said. “I’m so glad I was matched with him.”
Bradley Badger, of Bountiful, Utah, paired with Flynn, a male yellow lab, raised by Colleen Moss of Reno and Brittany and Lilly Blackburn of Gilbert, Arizona.
Badger, who has been paired eight times, got his first dog in 1998.
“I tell people this is the opportunity of a lifetime,” he said.
Tamara Boccaccio, of Vancouver, British Columbia, paired with Jenna, a female yellow lab raised by Krissy Desnoyers, Martin, Summer and Hazel Harris of Gig Harbor, Washington.
“Jenna is such a hard-working dog, but still sweet and loves to have fun,” Boccaccio said of her 5th match. “The two of us have really evolved since first meeting — you get to know and learn about each other.”
Cathy Lamb, of Oregon City, paired with Beckett, a male black lab, raised by Kailoni Tinoga-Kouhane and Mary Jane Morris of Salt Lake City, and Martine Savageau of Hoytsville, Utah.
“Guide Dogs allows the freedom to go where I want, be it plane or train,” Lamb said. “The support comes from the top to the bottom.”
Dr. Tara Perry, of St. Simons Island, Georgia, paired with Hedy, a female black lab raised by Andrea Vandersanden of Renton, Washington, and Prad Rokde and Shefali Sahasrabudhe of Bellevue, Washington.
“This program requires so much heart, commitment, determination,” said Perry, who has been involved with Guide Dogs for 32 years. “It is so positive, so kind.”
Alisha Ziska, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, paired with Sal, a male yellow lab/golden retriever cross, raised by Melissa Petersen and Jeremy Whalen, and Eddie Krukowski and Calley Stouffer, all from Seattle.
“You all are the foundation of my freedom,” Ziska told the crowd.
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