Having a Seeing Eye dog can give visually impaired people a feeling of independence by providing them with a way to more safely navigate their environment. A dog can also offer them an increased sense of confidence and security, as well as friendship.

These special companionships would not be possible without the help of puppy raisers, who agree to welcome a future guide dog into their homes, teaching them basic manners and obedience skills.

One local puppy raiser is Kelly Hersh of Mohnton, who is currently working with Olly, a 9-week-old golden retriever. The area coordinator brought the puppy to the family on Dec. 22, 2025, from The Seeing Eye, located in Morristown, N.J. "We have him for about a year," said Hersh. "We will teach him the basic commands - sit, down, come, rest, forward and stay back, like when you are walking through a door that opens towards you."

The dog will also learn socialization skills, including how to act around other people and other pets. "We teach good manners and social skills - behaving in public, behaving properly around other dogs, not jumping on people and staying off the furniture," Hersh said, adding the family also has two pet dogs of its own. "(My dogs) help teach social skills and how to socialize with other dogs."

Olly is also learning how to go on car rides. "We have to teach him to sit on the floor, but he is getting good with it. We give him a blanket and he curls up and goes to sleep," she noted.

Hersh is part of a support group that currently meets at the County Meadows Retirement Community in Wyomissing. In warmer weather, the meeting locations will change to other sites, including outdoor venues.

"Every county has their own club. The Berks County raisers do an outing every month," she explained. "It could be anything from a presentation at a school or a library to mini golf, a basketball game, a hayride or a corn maze. Sometimes we will go to Cabela's for a scavenger hunt."

"(During the meetings) we go over our schedules and go over our outings for the next couple of months," she added. "We talk about issues we may be having, get advice from each other and check how each other is doing."

The most emotional part of the process is when the year is over and the dog is returned to The Seeing Eye. "That is the hardest part - watching that puppy climb in that van and leave - it breaks your heart every time," said Hersh. "But because you talk to the students and graduates of The Seeing Eye, you hear the stories of how their first guide dog gave them so much freedom, so much independence. They felt like they were unstoppable because they had this dog beside them."

When Olly is "working," people will be asked not to interact with him. "When he is young like this, you can pet him. He is wearing a bandana," Hersh noted. "When he turns 6 months old and he shows good behavior, he will get a vest. Generally, at that point, we don't let people pet him, so the dog understands the vest (means) worktime."

The family will eventually know when the dog has been placed with a visually impaired person. "They will match the personality of the dog to the student," Hersh said. "They will tell us if they are placed with a man or women, that person's age and occupation and the state they live in. For privacy, we don't get too many details."

She said that those interested in becoming a puppy raiser may visit https://seeingeye.org/puppy-raising for more details.

"Kids can raise puppies for school projects," Hersh stated. "If people are worried about working, sometimes you can take your puppy to work with you. A lot of teachers and school staff can raise puppies, and some office settings (allow) you to take your puppy to work. You are not necessarily limited based off your occupation."

She said that raising a Seeing Eye dog is a family tradition. "With me and my husband this is No. 2, but my family started (raising puppies) when I was 2 years old. It is No. 19 (total for the family)," said Hersh.

The previous puppy that Hersh raised went back to The Seeing Eye in August. "The one we raised before (Olly) is in formal training now. We have gotten some postcards from his trainer letting us know how he is doing in training, and we will get his graduation picture," Hersh shared. "We will go for what they call 'a town walk,' where we go to Morristown, N.J., and we get to see him working in harness. The hard part is we can't go up to him. We have to stay a good distance back, so he does not hear or see us. But we get to see him working, and it will be awesome."