Murphy has spent the past 365 days helping others.
Since the day he was born, Murphy, PEOPLE’s Guiding Eyes for the Blind guide dog trainee, has been working towards being the best dog he can be, so he can help change the life of a blind/visually-impaired individual after he graduates.
Of course, there has been plenty of fun along the way: office visits, sleepovers and more.
Murphy recently celebrated all of the progress and memories he has made over the past year on his birthday.
But being a one-year-old doesn’t mean school is done for this dog.
Murphy continues to learn new skills everyday with his puppy raisers to help him prepare for his future as a guide dog.
Recently, “Murph” has mastered calm car rides, learned how to jump on to higher surfaces and switched from getting mainly food rewards for good work to getting physical and verbal praise.
A superstar from the start, Murphy is continuing to ace his Guiding Eyes for the Blind evaluations and is far more mature than the tiny puppy we met a year ago.
In the next few weeks, Murphy will be focusing on avoiding distractions, especially the tempting diversion of new dog friends.
To learn more about Guiding Eyes for the Blind and how to support the organization’s work with dogs like Murphy, visit guidingeyes.org.