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Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Jillian and Corey Hamma along with their puppy Angel participated in a puppy-raising program that pairs potential guide dogs with volunteer trainers for 12-14 months.
Family cares for, trains guide dog
By Joe Tone
When Corey and Jillian Hamma first saw Genoa, a 2-month-old yellow lab, they never considered keeping her. Instead, they wanted to get her into the hands of a new owner.
That owner is 17-year-old Ashley Samp--the beneficiary of the Guide Dogs for the Blind program, which trains and places dogs with blind recipients after the animals are given preliminary training by volunteers like the Hammas.
The program provided food coupons and partial payment for medical bills, and all of the Hammas' expenses were tax deductible. Local pet stores also chipped in, giving the Hammas a discount on food and other items.
Jillian and Corey Hamma, ages 12 and 20, served as Genoa's designated trainers, which involved attending two meetings a week and clocking countless hours of dog training.
"It was tough," says Jillian. "But it's really fulfilling."
"The hardest part was taking the dog places," says Corey. "I found it frustrating taking the dog to the supermarket where he could knock stuff right off the shelves."
For the year-long program, Genoa accompanied the Hammas almost everywhere: to the airport, the zoo and even to a San Jose Sharks game, where Genoa and Jillian made their television debuts when they were spotted by a cameraman.
"You have to be really willing to make the commitment," says Joann Ritter, the program's spokesperson. "You can't just leave the dog in the backyard or treat it like a normal pet.
The Hammas say one critical point was when they received a pet puppy as a gift mid-way through the program.
"That was a little tricky," Janet Hamma says. "But our advisor was wonderful. She could think like a dog."
Jillian and Corey extend credit to their parents for making the program work. Janet spent much of her time during the day with the dog when Corey and Jillian went to school.
"If they weren't there for us, we would not have been able to do it," Jillian says.
"It has to be a family thing," says Janet, who, with her husband, George, has lived in Sunnyvale for the past 23 years. "You can't do this unless you have the commitment of the whole family."
She says that commitment also needs to extend to the dog.
"This is the ultimate in dog training," she says of the program, which includes very little play, no treats and some grueling exercises to desensitize the dog to touch so that it can keep its focus during an outing.
Ritter says any dog in the program has only a 50 percent chance of making the cut as a guide dog.
"They need to be able to turn on and off, sit under someone's desk all day long and then jump up to go to the airport."
But Genoa made the cut, and last January the Hammas headed back to San Rafael to hand her back to the center for her final training.
"It was so thrilling," says Janet, who attended the July 17 ceremony along with the rest of the family. "It's like having a child graduate and get married all at the same time."
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
