 "Photo: photo courtesy of Katie Maley")
A faithful companion. Man’s best friend. A hero. Dogs today are becoming more than the average household pet. From guiding the blind to sniffing out firearms, dogs are doing it all. Their amazing senses exceed those of humans by far and enable them to perform brave tasks daily.
Katie Maley, L.V.T. (E.C.C.) teaches at Medaille in addition to working at an emergency clinic. On top of it all, she raises and trains puppies for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Katie has been doing this for many years, and her dogs have had careers ranging from guiding the blind to sniffing out explosives.
Wally, one of Maley’s previous trainees, was quite the “trouble maker,” according to his owner. “Students would have to keep their belongings off the ground during class because Wally would stick his nose right in there,” said Maley.
Dogs begin training to become seeing-eye dogs at the young age of four weeks. At 8-10 weeks, they are given to the trainer, Maley in this case. For the next 14 months, the dogs learn to socialize and control their behavior.
“After six months they get a vest that says ‘guiding eye dog in training.’ They then can go in public where they become a walking billboard,” said Maley.
After a year and a half, the dogs are brought to Westchester County for their temperament test. If the dog is a good candidate, like Danny, Maley’s previous dog that is graduating this November, it will be paired up with a blind candidate for three weeks to undergo training.
If the dogs are found to be unsuitable for the blind, the raiser has the option of taking the dog back home. The dog’s career does not have to end here though, it has other options. The canine could be an eligible candidate for drug or fire arm sniffing.
ATF is an organization that stands for alcohol, tobacco, and fire arms. They train dogs to use their sense of smell to find illegal substances.
When Wally was denied by Guiding Eyes, ATF “saw something special in him.” Dogs at ATF are trained for 6-8 months. The ATF dogs are very food-motivated in their training. After finding bullet shells that his trainer had hidden, Wally was rewarded with some tasty chow.
After being trained, Wally became an explosives dog. He is trained to identify firearms in any situation. He now works for the U.S. Marshall in Minnesota.
There are various events dogs such as Wally can attend to ensure the safety of individuals. According to Maley, “Wally has attended federal court houses to protect the judges.” Also, dogs with training similar to Wally’s can attend the Superbowl, the Olympics, and other nationwide events.
One of the biggest events that Wally attended was the National Republican and Democratic Convention. This convention occurred in 2008 with Senator John McCain and President Barack Obama in attendance.
“Everyday, dogs exceed our expectations,” said Maley.
Maley’s dogs such as Danny with Guiding Eyes, and Wally with ATF, are prime examples of canines going above and beyond.
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