Local dog trainer helping the blind, visually impaired

MEDINA — Morgan Kowalski loves the fact she's making a difference in people's lives. The Medina resident currently is raising her third dog, a German shepherd named Hagrid, for a New York nonprofit, Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Kowalski, 20, has been raising future guide dogs since she graduated from Holy Name High School in Parma Heights in 2018. Once Hagrid has completed his guide dog training and is paired with someone who is blind, Guiding Eyes said he will give that person unprecedented freedom and independence, at no cost to them. The entire process costs about $50,000, but the recipient never pays a dime. "I love it," Kowalski said. "It's very challenging. (It's very rewarding) to see people with a disability improve their quality of life." The trainers raise the puppies from the time they are about 8 weeks old until they are between 1½ to 2 years old. At that point, the dogs are administered their "In For Training" test at the Guiding Eyes for the Blind campus in Yorktown Heights, New York. If they are deemed ready for further training, the dogs are given more specialized training by trainers at Guiding Eyes, and then they are placed with the blind or visually impaired person that they will guide. Kowalski's first dog, Becky, is now a guide dog. Her second, Robin, is in the breeding program. Both are yellow labs and Hagrid is a black German shepherd. Kowalski is a student at Cleveland State University majoring in biology and education. She also works part time at the Medina Community Recreation Center. All of her work with Guiding Eyes is on a volunteer basis. She said she checked out Guiding Eyes' website after leaving high school and became "addicted" to the cause. The dogs lived with Kowalski's family in Medina, along with the family pet, a 10-year-old Schnauzer she calls a "grumpy old man" who sits on the couch and says, "Ha, ha. You can't get on the couch." Kowalski said the potential guide dogs are taught to stay off the furniture. She said she accompanied Becky back to New York for her testing. "It was hard to let her go," Kowalski said. "I was blown away how well she did with the tests. You want to see your best friend do well. That's the way it is with the dogs because they are with you all the time." She said the dogs go through a battery of tests, such as how they react to other dogs, how comfortable they are in social settings and if they want to work. "If a dog doesn't want to work, they don't want them in the program," Kowalski said. "I love doing it. It's become my passion." Contact reporter Bob Finnan at (330) 721-4049 or rfinnan@medina-gazette.com.