Guide Dog Tales - About Pat Leahy

On an early summer day, Pat, in a blue sportscoat, and Galahad sit on a bench in the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy dugout.

Pat Leahy

Pat here. Thanks for dropping by to check out the tales. The dogs have a lot of stories to share, but Hogan is nudging me to tell you a bit about myself too.

I grew up in Timonium, Maryland and have been blind since birth (with just a little bit of peripheral vision). People are always curious as to how this affects my life. Certainly, being blind comes with unique challenges, but there are also some benefits. For me, one perk is that I get to spend all day with a close buddy – a guide dog.

For the past three years, I’ve had two highly trained pups living at my house: Galahad, my retired guide dog, and Hogan, my current guide. Sadly, Galahad recently passed away, but I’m trying to focus on our awesome times together. Galahad and I had a lot of fun over the years and he handed down many training nuggets of wisdom to his protégé Hogan. Losing him helped motivate me to start this blog about our adventures together.

My dogs get a lot of questions from people we meet around town. The inquiries run the gamut. How do you work with a guide dog? What’s the relationship like? How do you pick up his poop? Really, everyone’s curious about this last one, but it’s actually not too hard when you’re paying attention.

Some of the best questions come from kids and I plan on writing a blog entry about that soon. In the meantime, Hogan has a lot to say. It’s been a long year of quarantining from the pandemic and this happy pup is barking his stories from the wooftops.

I really love hanging out with my pups – even when they gang up against me to try and nab some extra treats or hide my shoes. As a social guy, I also like talking to people, answering their questions and learning about their lives. I’m happy to share my own personal challenges too. Life presents us all with obstacles, but I strongly believe there is always a way to prevail. Between being blind and facing a few health scares, I’ve had some hurdles, but I choose not to let them define me.

Instead, I throw myself into life with a passion for family and friends as well as public policy. Academically, I graduated with honors from Millersville University, majoring in Political Science and History. Professionally, I’ve served Members of Congress and a Cabinet Secretary. I currently work for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, ensuring our elections are secure and accessible. Hogan helps me around the office with this important work.

During my free time, I enjoy meeting up with friends, volunteering with kids who have disabilities, attempting home improvement projects, gardening, working out at the gym, hanging with my neighbors, following baseball, and playing the harmonica and drums. With the help of my friends at the DC Improv, I’ve also been learning about and even performing a little stand-up comedy.

My parents, brother, extended family, friends, and, of course, the guide dogs, have supported me throughout, lending a helping hand (or paw) every step of the way. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them, and I’m extremely grateful for all of their love and encouragement.

Click on any of the images to see the full sized versions.

Blog Posts

Hotdog at the Metro – Hogan’s Guide Dog Adventures

A woofing fall greeting to our GuideDogTales readers. Thanks fur dropping by and checking out the latest. We hope you had a fun-filled summer and are ready for some great autumn activities.

Hogan and I are staying busy in the cooler temps. We’ve been heading back into the office and, during our free time, keeping up with some comedy performances. Hogan’s happy to be navigating the streets and the Metro again – he’s got that working-pup bounce back in his step, that extra wag in his tail.

I’ve continued doing stand-up at open mics and have added some new bits on guide dogs to my routine. As I mentioned in my last post... [continued]

Pat and Hogan Return to Comedy

Welcome back to Guide Dog Tales, where we are always pupped-up for good stories about fun times with our furry pals. Thanks for checking in with us during these pleasant spring days. It’s a lovely time of year, and we’re looking forward to shedding our winter coats and adding more stories to the blog.

I wanted our next entry to showcase my interest in comedy and explain how Hogan helps on stage. I’ve gotten a bit rusty over the pandemic, but Hogan and I are starting to get back into the swing of performing. “About time,” says Hogan.

Over the past few months, I’ve enrolled in two classes at the DC Improv Comedy Club. It’s a great way to get back into comedy – the atmosphere is always welcoming... [continued]

More Than Meets the Eye – Kids, Cameras, and Questions about Guide Dogs

Thanks for stopping in to sniff out our second blog post. Hogan and I are getting ready to send a few more tales your way.

In my blog bio, I mentioned that kids often have some of the best questions about guide dogs. Just a few days after posting that, I ran into a group of young students who were super interested in Hogan and wanted to know every single detail about how he helps me.

It was late October, and Hogan was leading me on our daily Capitol Hill walk. Since we’re teleworking these days, Hogan needs frequent walks around the neighborhood to get some exercise and brush up on his guide dog skills... [continued]