Name a Puppy

Choose a name that will change a life!

A donor who gives a gift of $5,000 or more to The Seeing Eye can be acknowledged with a very special thank you: the opportunity to name a Seeing Eye® puppy!

When you name a puppy, you’ll receive periodic updates about his or her progress in our program, including:

• a photo of your actual puppy along with a certificate including the pup’s birth date
• a vesting certificate when your puppy has completed the crucial vesting test at approximately six months of age (in order to earn a Seeing Eye vest, all puppies must perform specific commands and behaviors and meet certain criteria)
• a photo when your puppy returns to The Seeing Eye from his or her puppy raising family to begin official guide training
• a graduation photo when your puppy has been matched with a graduate, or, a career-change photo if the dog doesn’t quite make the cut as a guide (career-change dogs take on new challenges including everything from law enforcement to being loving pets)

The Seeing Eye has certain procedures when it comes to naming our puppies, and some names may not be immediately available. For example:

• The Seeing Eye gives all dogs in the same litter names beginning with the same letter. The puppies born in the first litter of the fiscal year (which begins on October 1) get all names beginning with A; the second litter are all names beginning with B, and so on. (After the Z litter, we begin again with A.) So you may have to wait for the appropriately lettered litter to be born for your name to be used.
• Each puppy in our Puppy Raising program must have a unique name, so it may be up to two years before a name is available again. Very popular names often have a “waiting list”. Please be patient!
• In addition, litter sizes can vary widely, as can the ratio of male to female puppies, which can affect how quickly a name can be assigned.
• Finally, there are some restrictions on the names we will use. For example, the name “Buddy” has been retired in honor of the first Seeing Eye dog. We will not use names that are inappropriate or are difficult to pronounce quickly.

If you or your group is interested in naming a puppy, donate at least $5,000 online or by calling (973) 539-4425. If you make the donation online, we'll give you a call to find out what name you'd like to choose.