Q&A with Seeing Eye Grad Ian

Tell us a little about yourself:
I live in West Deptford, NJ, with my fiancée and Seeing Eye^® dog Milo. I work in Sales at Lipman Family Farm selling tomatoes. I’ve been with the company for 16 years, but I wouldn’t say I'm an expert in tomatoes!

In my spare time, I love cycling and running.

What is your daily routine?
Milo and I get up, eat and drink, and go to work at about 10:30. Before we get there, we’ll walk around the neighborhood and then sprint to work. Milo’s not a very good runner, but he’s a great sprinter! We’ll do our walk and another sprint again later on in the day.

Then on our walk home, we’ll go through a different neighborhood, and head back to my apartment complex. We get home and play until bedtime. And hopefully he has the best life ever.

What was your first time meeting Milo like?
When my trainer Ruth Anne introduced Milo to me, he licked my face for 10 minutes. We were the best of friends from that moment on!

What made you want to get a Seeing Eye^® dog?
I looked it up on the internet, and the first school I applied to told me I was too independent, so I let it go.

Then somebody told me there were guide dog schools around New Jersey, so I looked online again and found The Seeing Eye. There was an open house on a Saturday, and I got to meet some of the dogs. I was hooked from that moment on; never looked back.

Now that you have Milo, what’s changed in your life?
I never went anywhere after dark on my own, even with the cane. What I do with Milo, I would never have dreamed of doing with a cane. We’ve been to train stations! I never did that on my own. When I go out with Milo, I’m never afraid.

Milo really changed my life. You gotta go for the adventure, and the last couple of years we really have been on so many adventures.

Unless you are blind, you can’t truly understand what Milo does for me — never take your eyesight for granted. He’s literally saved my life three or four times from cars pulling out of their driveways.

What’s your biggest accomplishment since meeting Milo?
I completed a triathlon by swimming 2.4 miles in a pool, cycling 112 miles on a stationary bike, and running 26.2 miles on a treadmill — all to raise awareness and some funding for The Seeing Eye.

Hi, I’m Milo!

Age: 6 years old

Breed: Black Labrador retriever

Personality: I’m a stone-cold worker when I’ve got my harness on, completely focused on my tasks. But when the harness is off, I play hard, too. I love leaving my toys all over the apartment!

Favorite Activities: Riding escalators

Career Highlights:

• One of our first nights together, I led Ian safely across the street when the sidewalk was closed, despite his prodding to continue forward on the sidewalk.
• I pointed out the handrail at the dentist where Ian had been going for years. He had no idea it was there, but I thought it was important for him to know.