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A volunteer ad nearly 20 years ago opened the door to an enduring family mission: raising puppies that could one day guide people with visual impairments.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind relies on volunteers to welcome young dogs into their homes and prepare them for advanced training. Raisers teach the puppies social skills, house manners and calm, polite behavior around new experiences, people and other animals.

For one Alexandria family, the opportunity also became a service project for teenage son Scott. The household already included two golden retrievers, and a shared love of dogs made the commitment especially appealing.

The family’s first guide dog in training was Lawrence, a black Labrador who arrived at 2 months old. Over the following months, he attended classes and practiced in a range of settings across Alexandria, Mount Vernon, Fairfax County, Arlington and other parts of the Washington region.

At 18 months, Lawrence returned to the Guiding Eyes campus in Yorktown Heights, New York. He advanced to professional harness training, a process lasting about six months.

Saying goodbye was difficult, but graduation brought its own reward. Lawrence was matched with Ron in Kansas City and served as his guide for seven years before retiring. The family occasionally received updates about how well the pair worked together.

Then came four more dogs the family helped train and graduate.

Along the way, classes, puppy playdates, overnight swaps and advice from experienced raisers and regional instructors created lasting friendships. The dogs also went on to strikingly different roles.

Tilly retired early and returned to the family at age 4. She became a therapy dog at an Alexandria private school for students with special needs, where her former raiser worked as a nurse.

Parsley’s abilities and work ethic led her to a career as a police dog. Star became a guide for a busy young professional near Boston.

The family’s most recent puppy, Mia, is a yellow Labrador who was accepted for harness training in April at 18 months old. She was the first dog the family co-raised, sharing the responsibility with Tim and Kathleen McQuade.

Children, grandchildren, neighbors, volunteers, co-raisers and regional managers across Northern Virginia all contributed to Mia’s preparation. Financial supporters were part of that network as well, including Margie Weinreb, who named Mia after her granddaughter and met the raisers during the dog’s testing.

Guiding Eyes continues to seek volunteer puppy raisers willing to provide the training, patience and home life that could prepare another dog for a life of service.