In 2015, I joined The Seeing Eye Puppy-Raising Club at Rutgers University.
German Shepherd brothers Blake and Brock were the icons of the club, and subjects of some of my first dog portraits ever.
I started sitting future guide dogs and came to love the program. Some entries from my puppy-sitting:
Many puppies I sat went on to guide, including Julip, Aiden, Frosty, Wyatt, and Zach.
In 2017, I got to raise my own puppy for The Seeing Eye. We went on a lot of adventures together. Meet Tinsel:
For 14 months, Tinsel and I went to classes, museums, stores, and travelled together. However, Tinsel never made it to harness. She became a "career change" dog due to the shape of her feet that made her too clumsy to be a guide. Tinsel is now my pet and is doing great in her current life, is happy every day, and makes me happy every day.
Follow Tinsel's Instagram:
I have TSE to thank for such a wonderful dog. I'm looking forward to raising for the program again, and want to support this cause. As such, I will be donating a portion of profits from all my dog-related products to TSE. I hope to raise enough to name some Seeing Eye® puppies
If you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Here's a photo of Tinsel living her best life
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