Chance’s Puppy Raising Journey

By Seeing Eye

Chance’s Puppy Raising Journey

Read on for highlights from Chance’s time spent with her puppy raising family — a vital chapter in her journey to becoming a Seeing Eye^® dog. Your support helps other puppies like Chance grow up to be life-changing partners for people who are blind. Thank you!

Newborn golden retriever Chance is held in a Seeing Eye staff member's hands with the caption: Chance at ten days

After seven weeks of growing and playing with her mom and siblings at The Seeing Eye Breeding Station, Chance is ready to set off on her puppy raising adventure! That means taking her very first car ride to her puppy raiser Tracy’s house, where she’ll live for the next year or so. Chance also gets to meet some new friends — Tracy’s other pets, Libet and Xylar and Breyer the cat!

Snapshots of Chance with her puppy raiser's pets, a black Lab named Xylar and a tabby cat named Breyer.

Chance hits the ground running, learning basic commands like “sit” and “down” at puppy club meetings led by our most experienced puppy raisers. Staying focused in busy environments is also an essential skill for Seeing Eye dogs to master, so Chance practices by accompanying Tracy on outings to crowded, noisy places like Yankee Stadium, Ellis Island, and Rockefeller Center. And it’s important for Chance to experience different types of transportation — including subways, ferries, and buses — since her career as a Seeing Eye dog could take her anywhere!

Chance and her brother Crusader, also a golden retriever, sit in front of a sign that reads: Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, Statue of Liberty National Monument

It’s not all roaring crowds and bustling sidewalks. Sometimes Seeing Eye dogs need to sit quietly and wait patiently. Chance practices these skills when she goes with Tracy to her office (Tracy works here at The Seeing Eye!) or out to lunch at a restaurant.

Chance and her buddy Trooper, a black Lab, sit in Tracy's office with two plush dog toys. They're both looking up at the camera with their tongues out.

Chance also gets lots of time to just be a puppy — playing with her house mates and other Seeing Eye puppies in training.

Chance and her buddy Trooper, a black Lab, snuggle together by their puppy raisers' feet. They're both wearing Seeing Eye puppy raising program vests.

They grow up so fast! Her puppy raising journey comes to an end, and Chance heads back to The Seeing Eye campus for formal training and then to meet her match. Her new owner is a college student, and their journey together is just beginning.

We hope you enjoyed following along on this adorable pup’s journey to become a Seeing Eye^® dog! Thank you for helping us create life-changing partnerships for people who are blind. Your support makes it all possible.