SHELBY, N.C.,None — For 12 months, Allison Stumbo will have a small blond shadow.
Brandon, her guide dog in training, will stick close to her side during shopping trips to Walmart, classes at Cleveland Community College or trips to the mall.
When Stumbo was 11, she heard a 4-H presentation on raising guide dogs and immediately wanted to be a part of the process.
Now 17, Stumbo is raising her fifth pup.
"It was such a good experience I had to keep doing it," she said.
She said the puppies are bred at the Southeastern Guide Dog School in Florida and are then taken home by the raisers when they are around nine weeks old. For the next 12 months or so, the dogs become the raisers' closest companions.
"He goes anywhere and everywhere with me," Stumbo said.
Brandon, a yellow Labrador retriever with a face cute enough to make a dog lover out of anyone, has a laid-back personality and can typically be found sprawled out at Stumbo's feet, snoozing.
Stumbo said her job is to teach the dogs house manners, basic commands, introduce them to a harness and to give them plenty of public exposure.
Brandon goes to church with her, goes car shopping at dealerships, takes road trips to visit friends and accompanies Stumbo nearly every other place she goes.
Each experience exposes him to different situations, sounds and smells, helping him grow accustomed to life as a guide dog.
When they are out and about, Brandon wears a uniform that says "puppy in training."
Some people want to pet Brandon, who is hard to resist, but Stumbo says to always ask first.
When she first began raising the pups and took them out to stores and other places, she said she had to explain why she had a puppy shadow. Now, people are starting to recognize her.
"It's definitely a lot of dedication," Stumbo said.
She also takes Brandon to puppy classes in Pineville, which are held twice a month.
During the classes, dog commands such as ignoring distractions and holding sit or stay positions are practiced. They also go on various outings around town.
"We expose them to everything," Stumbo said. "It's a lot of fun exposing him to stuff as a group."
Once they are returned to the school in Florida, the dogs undergo six to eight more months of training before hopefully graduating to become a full-fledged guide dog.
One of Stumbo's canines has gone on to assist a child with autism. Another has gone to work with a search and rescue team in Florida, and her last dog is still completing his training at guide dog school.
One of the dogs was dropped from the school due to severe food allergies and adopted as a pet.
Stumbo said there are no guarantees a puppy will make it to graduation day.
Once the dogs head back to Florida, Stumbo said she tries to keep in touch and follow the dogs' progress.
She said a letter is generally mailed out three weeks in advance, notifying her that the dog is ready to return to school.
"Most raisers want to keep up with where their dog goes," she said.
After 12 months or more spent playing and training the dogs, giving them up is difficult.
"It's not easy. You're giving up a dog you've had for over a year," Stumbo said. "It comes up pretty quick."
For more information on Stumbo and her guide dogs, visit her blog: www.guidedogawarness.blogspot.com.
How to help
Allison Stumbo plans to continue the work she does to provide guide dogs for the vision-impaired and others, but in order to do so, she needs sponsors.
The cost of raising one dog for a year is around $2,000. This includes approved dog food, flea and tick medications, gas money for trips to puppy training classes in Charlotte, approved dog toys and treats and occasional expenses related to exposure trips and events.
Stumbo said Shelby Eye Clinic is one of Brandon's sponsors and is covering half the cost of his care and upkeep.
Southeastern Guide Dogs covers the cost of his vet care.
Donations would be tax-deductible.
Contact Allison Stumbo by phone at 704-734-0809 or by email at guidedogawareness@yahoo.com
More about Allison Stumbo
She lives on a farm in Kings Mountain with several dogs and goats and other animals.
Stumbo, who has been homeschooled her whole life, recently graduated high school and is taking entrepreneurship classes at CCC.
She helps her family run a summer kids camp where school-age children can participate in life on a farm, including bottle-feeding baby goats.
Stumbo plans to someday earn a vet tech degree.