Alexis Lamanjour

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Hereford, Arizona (KGUN) — Joy Vanveen left home last Monday for a short trip to Benson. Little did she know that this would be the last time she would be able to walk through the front door.

“I was so desperate,” Bamveen said. “I was hoping the police wouldn’t stop me because I didn’t follow the speed limit.

The Williams Fire last week destroyed 500 acres east of Palominas and took two homes near the San Pedro River. Mr. Vanveen has lived in his one of those houses since 2006. There, she ran a business breeding puppies and training them as guide dogs. She has been in the dog training business since high school and she has followed her passion ever since.

Vanveen said it takes a minimum of 18 months to train a dog to be a guide dog, and it can take up to two years to complete the training. When she finishes dog training, she invites students in need of guide dogs to join her in team training. Van Bean had a total of eight dogs in her home when the fire broke out.

Vanveen was informed of the fire and evacuation by a friend who was with her. A partially blind friend left the house guided by one of her dogs Vanveen was training. One of Vanveen’s students, her Saoirse Kraft, is training with a guide dog that helped a woman out of a burning house.

“I think it was a shock,” Kraft said. “I think I’m still in shock. I personally haven’t lost anything. I mean, these are people I really care about. I feel an incredible amount of grief.”

With the help of firefighters, animal control and Mr. Bamveen’s neighbors, all the dogs were safely removed from the home.

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” said Bamveen.

The puppy’s father, her service dog, died shortly after the fire. Mr Vanveen said he still has some of his one dog because he plans to keep one of his puppies.

Since the fire, Vanveen said he has received more support from the community than he ever imagined. People have donated her dog supplies and donated to her through her GoFundMe page.

“I knew there were kind people in Cochise County, but there are more than I thought,” she said.

Vanveen plans to reopen school. She’s looking for a new place, lives with her friends, and has all seven dogs away, but she’s still training.

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