Azzie is a two year old yellow lab who is Alan's new guide. A veterinarian checked Alexis each year to make sure she was healthy enough to continue to work. Last year her vet found that she had developed arthritis in her hips and she should retire. There are several options for retiring dogs. They can stay with their partner as a pet, they can return to their Puppy Raiser, or they can be adopted.
Many people offer to adopt the retired guides because they are well trained and friendly dogs.
Even though Alan and Alexis were a great team, Alan knew it was time for a new guide. He notified the school he and Alexis has graduated from that she was retiring and he needed a new dog. Graduates are first on the list to receive a dog. A few months later Alan flew to San Rafael, California to be matched and train with Azzie. Since he was a retrain, he was paired with Azzie immediately and they spent three weeks learning to work as a team rather than four weeks like a new student.