The Sunnyvale Sun

Cover Story

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Heartfelt Hug: Exercise instructor Lorraine Donnelly gives Nancy JohnsonÕs dog Eon a great big hug at the Cypress Senior Center.

Canine Companion

These dogs are more than just pets

By Lisa Sibley

Nancy Johnson has always been a dog person. She doesn't just keep them as pets; they go with her everywhere she goes.

The nutrition manager for the Cypress Senior Center in West San Jose said dogs seem to provide a kind of therapy for the senior citizens for whom she plans meals. The seniors are constantly stopping by her office, located off the center's cafeteria, to pet her latest puppy.

"It brings out the goodness in them," Johnson said.

Older adults who live alone and may be lonely or grouchy come to the center for the lunchtime meal program. Johnson plans nutritious meals for about 65 seniors per day. Something about seeing one of Johnson's dogs changes their attitude and warms their hearts.

"Bringing the dogs to work is part of the training," said the puppy trainer.

West San Jose resident Jan Tatkowski says Johnson's dogs remind him of the dachshund he once had.

"Usually Nancy's puppies are all very active," he said, adding that, like Johnson, he's had dogs all his life.

Johnson, a longtime Cupertino resident, lives on a quarter-acre property with her husband Jim and 25-year-old daughter Desirae, who operates a doggie day care business, Pampered Pets and More, out of their home, and works at the Sunnyvale PetSmart as a manager in the grooming division and as the academy's grooming instructor.

"We've always had animals," Desirae said. "Horses, tons of dogs around, cats. My mom worked with a veterinary hospital when she was younger, as an animal health technician. Her passion for animals just started by being with them all the time."

Dogs are a natural part of the Johnsons' family life. So when Johnson's three golden retrievers--Shastina, Amber and Cheyann--eventually died, she needed a replacement.

"I wanted a dog," she said. "I had never been dogless, and I wanted to give back to the community, and now I can't give it up."

Johnson said she's addicted to training dogs. She got her first dog, Burt, a cross between a golden retriever and yellow Labrador, about three years ago through Guide Dogs for the Blind. Despite the odds that only about 50 percent of dogs in training "make it," Burt graduated from the program to become a guide dog for San Bruno resident Dennis McGuffin. Johnson was responsible for Burt's basic training and socialization skills, starting at about 8 weeks old.

Her second dog, Eon, also a cross between a golden retriever and yellow Lab, is now back at the Canine Companions for Independence facility working to become an assistance dog.

"We're saying he's in college," Johnson said, with a laugh.

Johnson taught Eon everything from leash training to how to go to relieve himself on command.

"You take them everywhere with you--work, school, church, the movies, restaurants--everywhere," she said.

Guide Dogs for the Blind trains dogs for those who are blind or visually impaired, Johnson said. Canine Companions for Independence dogs assist those who are hard of hearing, autistic or are in wheelchairs, among others. Another common outcome is becoming therapy dogs in hospitals.

"I'm a very outgoing person. It just meshes easily with my lifestyle," said Johnson, adding that the dogs also come along on family vacations.

The most difficult part of raising these fuzzy friends, Johnson said, is saying goodbye.

"It's very hard to give up the dogs," Johnson said. "But when I saw Burt walking up the steps, leading a guy who was blind up the steps [at Burt's graduation ceremony], it just hit me. I did something to help this person."

McGuffin, a writer and 20-year resident of San Bruno, couldn't be more grateful.

"Burt is a babe magnet," he said, of the now 3-year-old dog. "It is a social avenue; people are more anxious to come up to you and talk to you. Women tend to come up to me more than men. People feel safe and curious when they see the harness."

Burt's leather harness fastens under his stomach, with a wider strap on the front. The handle connecting him to McGuffin tells his owner if they are making even the slightest turn to the right or left.

One of the most memorable experiences for McGuffin was getting to know Johnson over lunch, after she had given up Burt. Burt still remembered his former owner, peeking his head up over the table to look at her.

"There's a certain kind of person that will take on training a guide dog," McGuffin said. "There is a certain quality about them. She has to give up the dog she has spent all this time with. Nobody can do that without some emotion."

He said Johnson possesses a lot of knowledge about the way dogs behave, a talent that includes patience, persistence and praise. McGuffin, who had two earlier guide dogs, said they have all given him an amazing gift--the freedom of mobility.

His last dog, when he was attending San Francisco State to earn his bachelor's degree, memorized McGuffin's routes to classes faster than he could. The dogs knew how to get there on elevators, and which door to enter in a row of identical classrooms.

"Having a guide dog is faster than using a stick," he said. "The dog will provide safety. If you give the command to cross the street and it doesn't want to cross, it will pull you out of the way. The dog has a memory on familiar routes, and will know where you want to go."

But dogs aren't all that keeps Johnson busy. Before coming to the Cypress Senior Center, she worked as chef at the Harker School, feeding about 400 children a day, and has also worked as a manager with a catering business.

Now, she has her own catering business on the side. Johnson says she will cater just about any type of event, except weddings. She and her husband of 27 years are also going back to school. She's earning her associate's degree in business management, as well as working one day a week as a salesperson at Orvis, a men's and women's clothing store at Santana Row.

In addition, the city of San Jose approached her to be a dog obedience instructor. Her course on basic puppy training and dog obedience is offered July 11 through Aug. 15 on Wednesday evenings.

"She just is very giving and likes to help people," Desirae said. "So having the knowledge and patience to train a dog makes it fulfilling for her to give back to the community."

Until the summer classes start, Johnson is already planning to take on training another puppy.

"Once you start, you can't stop," she said.

For more information or to register for the classes, visit the West San Jose Community Center, 3707 Williams Road, call 408.249.6580, or view the summer city-wide activity guide online, at www.sanjoseca.gov/prns.