St. Benedict's senior has an unusual classmate: a future Seeing Eye dog
Costa is a volunteer puppy raiser for The Seeing Eye, a nonprofit that breeds and trains dogs to guide people who are blind or have low vision.
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For most high school seniors, the first day of school means seeing familiar faces and settling into a new routine.
For Cecilia Costa, it also means bringing Jetson to class.
The St. Benedict’s Preparatory School senior is spending her final year of high school with an unusual classmate: a German shepherd puppy being raised to become a Seeing Eye dog.
Costa is a volunteer puppy raiser for The Seeing Eye, a nonprofit that breeds and trains dogs to guide people who are blind or have low vision. Jetson came into her life when he was just 8 weeks old and will spend roughly a year with Costa, learning how to navigate the world and experience everyday life before returning for formal guide-dog training.
That includes going to school.
“I’ll be in class and someone starts walking around and they’ll get shocked and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, there was a dog in here the whole time,’” Costa said.
Jetson is the second puppy Costa has committed to raising. She says the experience is rewarding, even knowing that eventually, she’ll have to say goodbye.
“At the end of the day, them leaving you — you saying bye means that they succeeded,” Costa said. “It’s them moving on to better things. So you want them to succeed.”
The need for service dogs continues to grow, while volunteer puppy raisers remain in short supply. Assistance Dogs International has described the shortage as critical, with some organizations facing yearslong waits to place dogs.
Costa’s commitment is especially notable because puppy raising isn’t part of an established program at St. Benedict’s. She sought out the opportunity herself and became only the second student at the Newark school to take it on.
Her experience is already making an impact. Two younger students have been inspired to become puppy raisers after Costa graduates next June.
And for now, Jetson still has plenty to learn — from navigating the halls of St. Benedict’s to mastering the basics of being a future guide dog.
