Meet Jan and guide dog Terra Ceia
Jan kneels with her black Labrador, Terra Ceia, and smiles in the mall.
When Jan DeGraw’s now-grown daughter was younger, the two volunteered as puppy raisers. But when she lost her vision in 2009 from a reaction to the drug Plaquenil, nothing could have prepared her for the next steps. “I was a puppy raiser because I wanted to help someone who was visually impaired,” she says. “Now I was on a completely different side of the process, and I didn’t think of myself as needing a guide dog—until it sunk in.”
Jan received her first guide in 2010, and now has returned for her third, a mellow and calm black Labrador named Terra Ceia. “Terra and I love being close together,” she says. “She is devoted and as we grow together, our bond and devotion to each other will strengthen.”
A former veterinary technician, Jan has always loved dogs. She also loves staying active, and Terra Ceia has just the energy level Jan needs. “She has brought back my love for physical workouts,” Jan says. “When she has her harness on, she has three speeds—high, medium, and regular. I speed walk while she trots, and she loves to trot. Once again, my guide is changing my life forever. I am so happy! The joy of having your perfect match, your partner beside you, is the greatest gift in the world.”
Jan smiles as she works with Terra Ceia in the mall.
