Meet the many caregivers behind Guide Dogs of Texas
Jamie Massey, Chief Program Officer of Guide Dogs of Texas, on the joys of raising guide dogs and serving the blind and visually impaired community.
It’s not everyday that you get to cross paths with lives and routines that look different than your own — though we wish it was. So in honor of this National Caregivers Day, we went on a mission to seek out the people and organizations who care for dogs in all the other capacities besides our own (as dog parents). Who occupy roles that we may not encounter in our own daily lives, but that nonetheless help keep dogs everywhere safe and happy.
This couldn’t be more true for Guide Dogs of Texas, a Texas-based nonprofit that breeds, raises, and matches specially-trained dogs to people who are blind and visually impaired. Their work and its impact spans every corner of Texas, and has changed the lives of thousands of human lives and counting.
And what’s best: They raise dogs with kindness, compassion, with purpose and care. And ultimately, when each guide dog finds their forever match in the form of a human partner, they’ve guaranteed a fuller and happier life for both.
Ahead of National Caregivers Day, we sat down with Jamie Massey, the organization’s Chief Program Officer, to talk about the joys and intricacies of raising guide dogs and serving the community around us.
Tell me about your organization. How does someone come to work with the Guide Dogs of Texas?
A lot of times, people lose their vision and don't know what the next steps are. The doctor says you're losing your vision and talks about treatment for your eyes. But it’s not like they’re handing you a pamphlet on how to handle life.
That’s where we step in. Broadly, we serve blind and visually impaired people all over Texas. Whether that’s placing guide dogs or linking people with the correct resources, depending on where they are in their journey. But there are also a lot of steps between losing your vision and getting a guide dog.
Tell me about the process. How does a guide dog become a guide dog, and who are all the caregivers involved along the way?
Before anything, a prospective client would reach out to us and get placed on our waitlist. Elsewhere, guide dogs are being born here in our nursery and, from that first moment, so many different people are involved with raising this dog.
You have your breeding program assistants and volunteers who help look after the puppies 24/7, performing health checks, working on all the development exercises — everything from sensory training in the pool to learning to identify sounds. (For example, all our puppies get an iPod with over 300 sounds so the second their ears start to open, they can start identifying trains, cars, kettles whistling, children, and more.)
Around eight weeks old, the puppies are sent out to a puppy raiser, who takes them into their own homes for some real life socialization. Once they’re 1 to 2 years old, the dog comes into advanced training with an instructor, plus volunteers and weekend boarders who help support our staff. Eventually, we move onto placing the dog with a client, where there’s even more hands and people involved.
That’s so many people!
It really is. It all just goes to show how vital every person is to the end goal, which is serving someone who's blind or visually impaired. If we don't have puppy raisers, there's no way to get them to advanced training. If there’s no volunteers, our instructors would burn out, housing the dogs at their personal homes 24/7.
At any one point in this process, you’re dealing with people of all different kinds of backgrounds. You’re integrated into personal lives, working one-on-one everyday for three to four weeks at a time. It does build this relationship that you don't really get in other types of work, and that's kind of cool.
I’d imagine this entire process is pretty intimidating for the human, like riding a bike for the first time but with much higher stakes.
It’s definitely a mix of emotions. Sometimes, a client is on their second, third, fourth guide dog. But especially for a first-time guide dog user who's been waiting a year or two for the call, their main question is, am I going to be able to conquer this?
In what ways do you mean?
To begin with, most people who come to us have previously been using a navigational cane, which is very tactile and self-controllable. With a cane you’re searching for each step: I'm stepping with my right foot. Is that pathway clear? I'm stepping with my left. Is that pathway clear? I hit an obstacle. Okay. What's the best way around the obstacle?
With a dog, they just follow. It’s a true partnership, so there can be a lot of doubt, but also a lot of excitement — having a guide dog can really open doors, and grant new opportunities and freedom that people often haven't had since they lost their sight.
So after someone’s matched with a guide dog in training, what happens next?
We arrange a matching visit, which usually involves going on a walk together to get acquainted and show them what the dog’s trying to communicate. Once we know they’re a perfect match, we can go back and really customize the dog to fit their needs.
Wait, customize the dog. What does that mean?
Things like: Do they have balance issues, neuropathy in their hands, any other impairment we should train the dog to look after? If they love going to rodeos, we can make sure the dog gets used to those environments. If they do a lot of traveling, we'll take the dog through an airport and onto a plane.
There’s so much work involved on all sides of this process, including and especially the guide dogs. What do they get out of this partnership?
The honest truth is they love being guide dogs. We don't make them do the job, any dog that doesn't want to guide doesn't guide — they’ll get rehomed and go on to do other things, like become a pet. It's only the dogs that want to work that do work. In part because we’ve genetically selected the dogs that genuinely get so excited and like to work, and otherwise because they’re genuinely so bonded and in love with their human.
That’s really lovely, and the work you all do is incredibly inspiring. Why is this organization so important to you?
Well, when I was in high school my father started losing his sight due to diabetic retinopathy. Firsthand, I watched the journey of someone losing their sight, losing their independence. He stopped working, was stuck at home, and honestly depressed for some time after his diagnosis.
When he finally matched with a guide dog, I went for a walk with the two of them to our local coffee shop. All of a sudden, the two of them are literally flying on the sidewalk, dodging traffic, and going so fast I couldn’t keep up. When I finally showed up at the coffee shop — by myself — they’d already finished their coffee. And my dad had the biggest smirk on his face.
Is it safe to say that guide dog brought your dad’s life back to him?
Exactly. My dad’s just a different family member now. His sense of humor is back.
And guide dogs don’t just impact that one individual. They’re impacting the spouse, the children, the parents. For clients who have young children, they’re able to get back to work and make a paycheck. They’re able to be there mentally for their children. They’re able to be present for their spouse. They can be life changing.
Of all the incredible parts of your work, what’s your favorite?
Working with the people, for sure. Whether it's the interview process or seeing a client with their dog they've had for six years, I just love that you meet people of all different kinds of backgrounds. One day I'm working with someone who’s all into holistics and their garden and meditation, and the next you're on a ranch and meeting someone’s horse or talking all about their grandkids.
In a way, our clients are like lifelong friends who you go back and see every year. Family.
