Seeing Eye puppy takes celebratory walk through Morristown in Lauren Failla’s honor

0

By Sharon Sheridan 

The 1.9-mile circuit was routine; the occasion was anything but. 

Carlye Cording, 13, poses with Lala at the Green. Sharon Sheridan photo

Lala, a Seeing Eye German shepherd puppy named and raised in honor of the late Lauren Failla, went on her daily Morristown constitutional on Dec. 17 accompanied by about 20 well-wishers as she prepared to enter the next phase of her education to become a guide dog.  

Lauren, 25, died while vacationing in India in 2010. Harry and Mary Ellen Simon raised Lala – their seventh Seeing Eye puppy – jointly with 13-year-old Carlye Cording in her honor. Her name was a nickname Lauren received from her cousins. 

Lala split her time between the two households, mostly living with the Simons, while Carlye accompanied her to weekly training classes. 

“She’s one of the best handlers in the puppy class,” Harry said of Carlye. He enjoyed watching Lala look up at her as if to say: “I love you. I know the drill. We’re going to nail this.”

On Jan. 5, the year-and-a-half-old pup will return to The Seeing Eye for her formal guide dog training. Before the walk, Carlye admitted she was nervous about saying goodbye. 

Frank and Kay Failla pose with Carlye Cording and Lala alongside the statues of guide dog pioneers Morris Frank and Buddy in Morristown. Sharon Sheridan photo

“It is very hard,” Mary Ellen said. “We kind of feel there’s a bigger purpose. … What we try to do is give them the best start in life we can, so that they’re confident and loved and they get the respect  they deserve.” 

Lauren’s parents, Kay and Frank, Carlye’s parents, Leslie and Ron, friends and other puppy raisers joined the Simons and Carlye for the walk, which started at the Simon Gallery on Bank Street and moved through town as far as King’s supermarket before circling back down South Street and through the holiday-decked Morristown Green. 

John Grieder came on behalf of himself and his wife Katherine, a painter who shared the love of art with Lauren. The Grieders attend the same church as the Faillas, St. Peter’s Episcopal in Morristown. 

John Grieder and Kay Failla chat at the Simon Gallery. Sharon Sheridan photo

“What a tribute to Lauren: just another expression of how valued she was and still is in the community,” he said. “Such a short life, but she left such an influence.” 

Several dogs besides Lala participated, racing and leaping playfully around the Simons’ art gallery before the walk. The eldest, Labrador retriever Polar, was raised as a Seeing Eye puppy but couldn’t become a guide dog after losing an eye. The youngest, 4 1/2-month-old standard poodle Shania, is being raised for the Seeing Eye by Jill Jaycox, who works for the Seeing Eye and placed Lala with the Simons and Carlye. 

“It’s a nice remembrance of Lauren,” Frank said. “She always loved dogs, and she always wanted a dog.” 

Leslie Cording gives Lala a hug while daughter Carlye watches. Sharon Sheridan photo

Lauren’s lobbying for a canine pet succeeded only after her older sister, Emily, who was allergic to dogs, went off to college. That was when Lucie, a Maltese terrier, joined the Morristown household. Emily, 24, was killed in a rock-climbing accident in 2006. 

Lauren helped with a Seeing Eye fundraiser and even considered working there, her father recalled.  

“We’ve had Lala over at the house a couple of times, and she got to meet Lucie,” he said. She also met the family cat, Saatchi, who was less than pleased. New experiences, however, are all to the good for a Seeing Eye puppy in training. “Mary Ellen was so thrilled to introduce Lala to her first cat.” 

Please click icon below for captions.

Carlye Cording and Lala walk around the reflecting pool at the Vail Mansion in Morristown. Sharon Sheridan photo

On the walk back to the gallery, Carlye and Lala took a solo turn around the reflecting pool at the Vail Mansion. Near the green, they posed for photos near the statues of guide dog pioneers Morris Frank and his dog Buddy. 

Back at the gallery, the walkers gathered in a circle and passed around a hug. Then Kay announced – “You know what Lauren would say: Group hug!” – and all moved to embrace in the middle.  

Carlye and her mother said their goodbyes, as Lala remained with Harry, as lively and cheerful as her namesake. 

“This was a wonderful experience,” he said.

 

Carlye Cording and Lala, the Seeing Eye puppy she helped to raise in Lauren Failla's honor. Sharon Sheridan photo

 

 

LEAVE A REPLY