With Moses, a yellow Labrador Retriever, at her side, Shelley Leman of North Bend graduated this fall from a regional guide dog training program.

The duo completed two weeks of intensive training at Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc., in Boring, Ore.

Leman works as a cook at a local school, but at the Guide Dogs for the Blind training session, she and her new partner learned to negotiate stairways, elevators, overhead obstacles, crowded sidewalks and busy streets. Dogs are trained to avoid distractions and disobey commands to cross a street if traffic is approaching.

Guide Dogs for the Blind is a community dedicated to providing people who are blind with the opportunity to experience what a powerful partnership with a Guide Dog can mean—not only to mobility, but to quality of life. The school is committed to matching each person with the right dog, developing a personalized training program matched to each person’s lifestyle, while providing support services to establish a true life-long partnership.

For more information, call 1 (800) 295-4050 or visit www.guidedogs.com.