For Loreli Stochaj ’85 and a host of other F&M alumni, raising service dogs is more than a passion. It’s part of life.

The top three rules for raising a Seeing Eye guide dog might surprise you.

First, teach basic commands and house manners. Next, expose dogs to new experiences. And above all, fall in love.

The latter isn’t too hard when it comes to puppies, and it’s one of many reasons that Loreli Stochaj ’85 has raised 11 guide dogs since first becoming involved in the nonprofit.

“Their mission is so solid. What they do to help people gain independence is just amazing,” says Stochaj, volunteer club leader in Morris County, N.J., home to The Seeing Eye headquarters. She resides in nearby Bridgewater with wife Christina Carswell.

Founded in 1929, The Seeing Eye enhances the independence, dignity and self-confidence of blind people through the use of dogs. In its 95th year, the nonprofit has made more than 18,000 matches between guide dogs and people who are blind or visually impaired.

“I feel like my club is a family. They work together, they help each other. I have people who have raised more than 20 dogs and I have people who are raising their first puppy. They all are trying to help each other make the dog the best that the dog can be,” Stochaj said.

She was recognized as Outstanding Club Leader in September 2024 and earned the Kirby Award for Volunteer Excellence in 2023.

Stochaj still remembers the day her parents brought home Biff, the family’s first Seeing Eye dog, on Dec. 7, 1987.

“My parents had always been very volunteer-oriented,” Stochaj recalled.

A government major at F&M, she returned home to Berkeley Heights, N.J., while pursuing a master’s degree in teaching. Biff was the first of several guide dogs raised with her parents, the late John and Rosemarie Stochaj.

“I've been involved since. It's a huge part of my life,” Stochaj said. At one point, she co-led the Morris County club with her father. 

Stochaj’s 36-year career as a librarian at the Summit Public School district lent itself perfectly to exposing puppies to a school setting. Retired since 2022, she still runs a program where children read to guide dogs at public libraries. 

The gift for raising service dogs runs in the family. Stochaj’s brother, Steven Stochaj ’83, – whom she credits as her largest influence to attend F&M – raises and trains search and rescue dogs.

Steve Stochaj, electrical and computer engineering department chair at New Mexico State University, trained and owns Wave “The Wonder Dog,” a member of Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue organization.

Perhaps better known for retrieving the kicking tee at university football games, Wave has amassed thousands of followers on social media. The border collie has earned American Kennel Club titles in agility, rally, obedience, tracking, trick dog, dock diving and canine good citizen.

“Their mission is so solid. What they do to help people gain independence is just amazing.”

— Loreli Stochaj ’85, who has raised 11 guide dogs since first becoming involved in The Seeing Eye. 

From Puppies to Partners

The Seeing Eye guide dogs are born at a state-of-the-art breeding facility in Chester, N.J., and remain there for seven weeks before leaving for their puppy-raising homes.

Puppy raisers train the dogs for 13 to 16 months before they are ready to be paired with their visually impaired owners. But before the pairing, each dog is assigned to a specialized instructor for four months of training on The Seeing Eye campus in Morristown. Dogs are trained in rural, suburban and urban environments, including New York City.

After the four-month training cycle, guide dog recipients travel to The Seeing Eye headquarters to receive training for 25 days.

“Even after all this time, I still learn from being surrounded by the staff and the graduates who get the dogs,” Stochaj said.

One such graduate is alum Clifford Aaron ’80, who never imagined he would one day be the recipient of a guide dog.

“It's not the cards you're dealt, but rather how you play the hand.”

— Clifford Aaron ’80 with his second Seeing Eye dog, Ford, now a retired family pet.

‘You Leave with Independence and Dignity’

A senior partner at New York law firm London Fischer, Aaron was matched with his first Seeing Eye dog, Alto, in 2006.

Aaron began losing his vision 10 years after graduating from F&M, well into his legal career as a Villanova-educated lawyer.

He recalled initial training at The Seeing Eye headquarters: “That first day was hard. But you leave with independence and dignity. That's what the school gives you.”

Aaron returned in 2013 to be matched with his second, a yellow Labrador/golden retriever cross named Ford (now a retired family pet). He is currently matched with Dan, his first full yellow lab.

When Aaron’s wife Karen was pregnant with their second child, he received a surprising diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that causes progressive vision loss. 

“About 34 years ago, I realized I was losing my peripheral vision,” he said. 

The condition worsened after Aaron’s eyes were injured by glass in a freak automobile accident (a bystander threw a rock off an overpass, shattering his windshield).

After going “from doctor to doctor,” an ophthalmologist delivered the bleak results of an electroretinogram.

“He said, ‘You're going to be blind in six years.’ That's how I was diagnosed. It was a kick in the gut.”

A frequent motivational speaker, Aaron references the works of a psychiatrist he encountered in a religious studies class at F&M: Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, who developed the five stages of grief, a model for understanding loss.

“You truly go through that,” Aaron said. “But ultimately, I came back around and I got to acceptance. Not everybody gets there.”

His Seeing Eye dog possesses a surprising courtroom advantage when representing companies involved in catastrophic injury cases, automobile and trucking accident cases.

“I say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, you all know people who are truly disabled. And they go to work every day.’ And I pat the dog on the head. The message is there. A lot of plaintiff's attorneys hate me,” he joked.

Aaron used to commute via train from New Jersey to his Manhattan office. Once his eyesight worsened, the firm began providing a car service. Alto learned the route within a week.

“I never had to give another command. We’d always go up the same escalator. We’d make the same 10 turns to get out of the World Trade Center. He knew where Church Street was. He knew where to cross Broadway. And he would take me right to the door.”

In December 2023, Aaron joined The Seeing Eye’s Board of Trustees. He is one of nine board members who are blind.

Reflecting on 18 years of involvement with The Seeing Eye, the time has not been without its ups and downs. Aaron’s first dog passed away from cancer. The decision to retire Ford, his second guide dog, proved especially difficult after many years of bonding. A father of three daughters, Aaron and his wife have celebrated the birth of six grandchildren (“My biggest regret is I can't see my grandchildren. But I can sit with them, touch their faces.”). He is an avid fly fisher, golfer, hiker and traveler, largely thanks to The Seeing Eye.

“It's not the cards you're dealt, but rather how you play the hand,” he said.

The Next Generation

The tradition of Seeing Eye puppy raisers and graduates remains strong within the F&M community.

Perhaps the College’s most public-facing Seeing Eye graduate is six-time Paralympic swimming medalist Becca Meyers ’21.

“The Seeing Eye is an incredible guide dog school. I am grateful that they gave me my independence with my now retired Seeing Eye dog, Birdie (age 11),” Meyers said.

Meyers was born with Usher syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. She has been deaf since birth and has progressively lost her eyesight. At the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, Meyers was the only deaf athlete on the U.S. Paralympic swim team.

Her decision to withdraw from Team USA ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics after being denied a personal care assistant drew global attention to the lack of proper resources for athletes who are both visually and hearing impaired. Meyers continues to advocate for improving conditions and accessibility in sports for people with disabilities.

“The Seeing Eye is an incredible guide dog school. I am grateful that they gave me my independence with my now retired Seeing Eye dog, Birdie (age 11).”

— Six-time Paralympic swimming medalist Becca Meyers ’21, pictured here with Seeing Eye dog, Birdie, at F&M Commencement.

“I grew up helping my mom foster countless dogs and cats, including Seeing Eye puppies, and from the beginning, I loved caring for each one of them.”

— Veronica Thompson ’22, who began raising guide dogs for The Seeing Eye in 2008. She is now a veterinary nurse in Philadelphia.

On the puppy-raising side, alumna Veronica Thompson ’22 briefly crossed paths with Stochaj long before she set foot on F&M’s campus.

Thompson attended the elementary school where Stochaj worked as a librarian. Her family began raising guide dogs for The Seeing Eye in 2008.

“I grew up helping my mom foster countless dogs and cats, including Seeing Eye puppies, and from the beginning, I loved caring for each one of them,” Thompson said. 

While at F&M, Thompson gained experiences in ecology research, vet assisting and wildlife rehabilitation. She was an animal caretaker at the campus vivarium and veterinary assistant at Neffsville Veterinary Clinic.

She is now a veterinary nurse at Rox Falls Veterinary practice in Philadelphia, a role that feels like her calling.

“I re-entered the veterinary field after graduating, and this finalized my decision that this is what I wanted to wake up and do each day.”

Learn more about ways to volunteer with The Seeing Eye.