Mary is particularly good at creating the trust
and ability to bond needed by a leader dog.
The resulting special connection with her
adoptee, however, makes it difficult to give
up the dog at the end of a year. In order to
make this easier on both her and her canine
guests, Mary takes them to Rochester often.
There they can play with other dogs and get
used to the facility and trainers. This familiarity helps in the transition from Mary’s family
to the next stage of training.
One main reason for Mary’s involvement
with the program stems from the fact that her
entire family has some sort of vision impairment. She says that she and her family
understand that someone really needs their
dog, rather than simply wanting it as a pet.
Faculty Focus: Mary Griffin
PROFESSOR FINDS UNUSUAL WAY TO SERVE COMMUNITY
Whenever Professor Mary Griffin brings a
guest to class, her students beam and vie
to be hospitable. Odd? Not when you know
that her guest almost always has four legs.
Mary and her husband Ray are participants
in the program “Leader Dogs for the Blind.”
Their involvement began in October of
1992 when a local woman donated a litter
of Labrador pups to “Leader Dogs.” Since
then, the Griffins have trained nine. Their
current “trainee” is Simba, who can be seen
on campus from time to time.
Professor Mary Griffin and Simba
at Honors Convocation 2004.
By Christen Sprenger ’08
6
Reflections Winter ‘05 - Siena Heights News
The Griffins keep the puppy for one year,
focusing chiefly on its socialization. They
are responsible for taking the dog to as
many diverse social settings as they can:
the park, work, school, and even church.
By the end of the first year, their mentoring should result in Simba’s being able to
respond to basic commands. At this point,
she will go to the Leader Dog’s main training facility in Rochester, Michigan, for more
“formal” education.
The Leader Dogs program itself, initiated by
the Lions Club in 1939, has resulted in the
training of over 10,000 dogs. Several facilities like the one in Rochester exist across
the country. Currently, 400 families like the
Griffins are helping raise these special dogs.
Asked what she’d recommend to anyone
thinking about helping with the program,
Mary explains that it’s very time-consuming.
“The dogs need a lot of attention,” she says,
“and since they are not supposed to spend
time in a kennel unless sleeping, it is a big
change in one’s life.”
The Leader Dog program even impacts
Mary’s teaching, since her sleek and gentle
wards are often in the classroom with her.
She says her students all seem quite happy
about the puppies and the program itself. In
fact, they frequently stop by her office just to
say “Hello” to Simba.
Mary is always pleased to share her passion for Leader Dog training with the Siena
community. She explains, “It’s a great way
to involve the dog with the social settings
it needs, and also an easy way to promote
awareness of the visually impaired and the
Leader Dog program itself.”
More information on the Leader Dog Program
is available online at www.leaderdog.org, or
those interested may contact Leader Dogs
for the Blind: PO Box 5000, Rochester, MI,
48308-5000; 1-888-777-5332.