"A seeing-eye dog, ironically, might be losing his sight, and the person [he's assisting] may not know," Daniel said. "That may put the person's life at risk. ...That's the most extreme example. Most dogs we see are healthy."
Tali was one of the healthy ones. He left his exam with a prescription for the allergies and will continue working with National Capital Therapy Dogs Inc. He wasn't always the model service dog. Meyers called him a "cuckoo puppy." But he demonstrated his warm personality and ability to obey commands and became certified three years ago.
"He's made a lot of people happy," Meyers said. "He puts them at ease. He makes them laugh. No matter what you do, he's there wagging his tail."
Other dogs, it seems, were born to help. Cooper, a German shepherd who works for the Virginia Search & Rescue Dog Association, is one. He recently went on a two-day search for a blind hiker lost on the Appalachian Trail. The man was found after he lit a fire.
Autumn Manka said her husband insisted on adopting Cooper and putting him to work helping others. Same with David Wyttenbach, who adopted a German shepherd he named Sirius Black (yes, named for the Harry Potter character). Sirius is still in training. But, it's not too soon to make sure his eyes are healthy.
"People think of dog noses being important, but they don't think about the eyes," said Wyttenbach. "But they're pretty important. They get a lot of sticks, dust and pollen in them. They need to be checked."
This time, Bromberg found nothing to worry about with Sirius or Cooper, but she said it's good to check. German shepherds are prone to pannus, a disease can lead to blindness if not controlled early.
"No problems," said Bromberg. "That's what we want."
