The first puppy they would raise for about 18 months was Beacon, a black Goldador, weighing in at 13 pounds when he was just 11 weeks old. That was in 2007. We wrote about the Lindley's experience in 2008 — about the moment they brought Beacon home, to the day they had to return him to Southeastern Guide Dogs. Beacon passed his evaluation and health exam, meaning he was cleared for training to become a service dog. “We always knew that Beacon would eventually go to a visually-impaired person,” said Jerry. “And while we had some adjustments in our household after Beacon was gone, we kept it together, realizing how much good he would add to the life of another human being.” Jennifer Woods was born with coloboma, a condition that
greatly impairs her vision. While that never stopped her from being independent, the thought of completely loosing her sight was weighing on her. “My twin sister, Jessica, is com- pletely blind and has always had a guide dog.” Still, Jennifer was adamant that she could navigate on her
own, even after moving from a small town in Florida to attend college at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. She felt fairly confident with the white cane she had always used, even though she took several minor tumbles and spills in her new surroundings. Then, one day after a major fall, she admitted that she had been in denial for quite some time. Maybe she needed more help than her white cane could provide. Beacon and Jennifer met on the campus of Southeastern
Guide Dogs in 2009. Having grown up in a family that raised Vizslas, Jennifer's one request was that she be paired with a dog that was high energy, fast-walking and sociable. She would soon find out that Beacon was all that and more. The training the pair would endure was a four week-course. “It took three weeks before Beacon and I bonded,” said Jennifer. During her training at SEGD, Jennifer never backed
down from a challenge, meeting each one with determination and an ever-present smile. Her sweet, gentle and light-hearted demeanor earned her the nickname — The Little Engine That Could — by SEGD staff. “Beacon and I eventually learned to work together as a team. At first, it definitely felt like it wasn’t going to work. Then, one day we finally clicked,” said Jennifer. In May of 2009, the Lindleys and several other puppy
raiser families were invited back to Southeastern Guide Dogs to watch as “their dogs” worked as a team with their new han- dlers. It was the first time in six months any of the families had seen the dogs. Before going outside to watch the demonstra- tion, which was actually another training session, everyone was instructed to remain absolutely quiet. “Don’t even think about whispering the dog’s name,” they were told. The crowd was situated about 50 yards away when Jennifer and Beacon appeared. The team circled around the park, navigating obsta- cles along the way. When they came to a crosswalk, Jennifer stopped for a moment, allowing Beacon to guide her. For just a split second as they walked past the crowd, the wind changed direction towards Beacon. His nose went up and he looked in the direction of the Lindleys. Barbara held her breath.
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