Following the early retirement of her first guide dog, Irving, Ally Cates went a few months without one. Without the black Labrador retriever by her side — she said a lot of people at school know her as “the girl with the dog” — a few of her classmates asked her what happened to Irving.

He retired after a year in service because of a seizure disorder and has transitioned to civilian life. A new dog, Jefferson, now goes out on the job.

Cates, a junior at Fitch High School, and Jefferson, another black Lab who turns 2 in February, graduated from Guiding Eyes of the Blind’s program in December after three weeks of intensive training in White Plains, N.Y. They went through daily obedience classes as well as trips to busy places like the mall to train with distractions.

Cates said the training is a little rocky at first as dog and handler learn how to work with each other, but Jefferson is starting to anticipate her needs before she tells him what to do. His puppy-raisers, a trio of families, had experience in the education field, which set him up well for the chaos of high school; most of the time, he just curls up under her chair.

Cates loves the independence and more natural mobility she has with a guide dog as opposed to using a cane, and she was grateful for the amount of support she has received from Guiding Eyes for the Blind, both in the training and in Irving’s medical care after his diagnosis.

She said she enjoyed meeting her classmates and being surrounded by people who know what she has been through; she was born with albinism and a few different eye conditions, and her vision started to deteriorate because of complications after surgery at age 11 related to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

The biggest challenge has been educating the public on proper behavior around a service dog. She said everyone at school loves Jefferson, but some try to pet him and excite him even though they know they’re not supposed to; she noted that he has been great at refocusing after such a distraction.

Cates said she tries not to compare Irving and Jefferson because they’re different dogs, but she noticed that Irving was more independent, whereas Jefferson is more people oriented; she said that when he plays with other dogs, he’ll stop more often to check in on her.

She also said that Irving loves having another dog at home to play with — the family’s third dog is a bit of a curmudgeon — and he will still lead her when they go out for walks, even though he’s no longer on the job.

For more information about Guiding Eyes for the Blind, visit guidingeyes.org.

a.hutchinson@theday.com