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J.C. The Puppy Is On A Mission

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: February 14, 2009

Most puppies just have to learn where the food dish is, how to signal when it's time to go for a walk and maybe learn to fetch and a few tricks.

But J.C. isn't just any puppy. He's a puppy in training and he has the identification badge and blue coat to prove it.

The smooth-coat collie is spending up to 20 months with Carolyn Hersh of Hudson for general obedience training before specialized instruction to become a guide dog for a blind person.

A bereaved mother whose son died while serving in a civilian capacity in Afghanistan had asked mourners to donate money to Southeastern Guide Dogs in lieu of flowers at the funeral for her son. Southeastern Guide Dogs, in Palmetto, is the guide dog school training J.C.

That's how the collie she sponsored wound up with the initials J.C., as a tribute to the late John Charles.

J.C. already seems to sense he has a special mission in life, Hersh observed. The collie's personality becomes totally different when he wears his blue service coat with the Southeastern Guide Dogs logo. J.C. knows it's time to get down to business.

The hardest part as a trainer might be not getting too attached to J.C., Hersh comments with a chuckle.

"He was just a little guy," Hersh recalled when J.C. first arrived here last September. He weighed about 8 to 10 pounds at 9 weeks old. The collie has mushroomed to about 50 pounds now and is still growing to a maximum weight of about 65 pounds. Hersh buys 40 pounds of hard dog food every two weeks.

The tune "Me and My Shadow" could easily describe the pair, since J.C. follows Hersh just about everywhere. The collie lies quietly in the office while Hersh attends to business as president and chief executive officer of Hersh Insurance Co.

Then J.C. follows her home to spend time with Hersh and her husband, Steve, and their two teen children, Hayden and Alec.

"He's made me popular in the community," Hersh said with a laugh. "He goes with me everywhere" - grocery stores, restaurants, malls and many other destinations.

It's the first time Hersh has served as a "puppy raiser." Her job is to get J.C. used to crowded places such as a mall or an elevator, crossing streets and socialization. She and J.C. have visited a hospital physical rehabilitation center, for instance.

"It's a 24-hours-a-day commitment," Hersh emphasized. It was a family decision to take in J.C. "We're not allowed to fall in love with him."

Good luck with that - Hersh has dubbed J.C. "Boyfriend," since she calls her own dog "Girlfriend." The Hersh family pet, a 15-year-old Dalmatian, wasn't all that happy about having another dog in the house, but has since gotten used to J.C.

After his time with the Hershes, J.C. will return to the Manatee County guide dog school for formal training with a harness. Then the collie will spend time with his potential master in a dorm in Palmetto for about 20 days to see if they are a good match. Most guide dogs these days are Labradors, Hersh mentioned, but about one in 10 guide dogs are collies. German Shepherds have been phased out.

By the time J.C. is placed in a permanent home, about $60,000 will have been spent on his training, all of it from private donations. The guide dogs are given free to blind persons.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers sponsors an annual golf tournament here to benefit Southeastern Guide Dogs. Last year about $12,000 was raised. The next tournament will be conducted May 1 at the Beacon Woods course.

Dr. Robert R. Hase Jr., the veterinarian who owns Bayonet Point Animal Clinic, donates his time caring for J.C., Hersh said.

The Lions Club in Hudson often donates to causes which assist6 blind people, Hersh pointed out.

It's been a lot more work caring for J.C. than Hersh had figured. So what prompted Hersh to tackle so much responsibility in raising J.C.?

"I know it sounds corny, but it is for the greater good," Hersh concluded.

Carl Orth can be reached at 727-815-1068 or corth@suncoastnews.com.

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