Snoopy was petted and stroked

to his little puppy heart's content Wednesday night when he visited Fayetteville

United Methodist Church and the young people who plan to sponsor a pup

like him as a seeing eye dog.

The youth group dubbed "Mission

Maniacs" is composed of third, fourth and fifth graders who meet

weekly to grow in their faith, learn about God and have fun with their

church friends, explained Becky Davenport, the group's adult coordinator.

"The goal of Mission Maniacs

is twofold," Davenport said: "first to teach children biblical

truths from which they can build a moral foundation to last them a lifetime,

and second to teach kids the joy found in serving God by reaching out

to others in need."

In September, the members were

asked to vote on a mission project for the year. "The overwhelming

favorite choice was Pennies for Puppies, a project which supports the

training of a seeing-eye dog for the blind," Davnenport said.

The total cost for training

the dog to be a blind person's "paws for independence" is approximately

$10,000, according to Davenport. Her mission group has a $1,500 goal,

which will cover a dog's training costs in the first year and a allow

them to name a puppy.

One of the ways the boys and

girls are raising funds is through the sale of their canine-inspired gifts

on sale today at the church's craft show. Some of their clever creations

include gourmet dog biscuits made from an award-winning recipe, dog biscuit

Christmas ornaments and picture frames, and paw-printed clay pots. Future

fund-raising efforts may include a pet photo shoot, a penny collection

and a dog wash.

Mission Maniacs may soon have

a real, live mascot as well.

One of their member families

has made application with Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc. to become a puppy

raiser. If they are accepted into the program, the family will be given

a two-month-old puppy to raise and teach basic obedience skills. When

the dog is 14 months old, it will be returned to the organization's training

center in Palmetto, Fla. near Bradenton, and begin the serious work of

learning 40 commands and adapting to the leather harness.

Snoopy, now five months old,

is Beverly Higginbotham's second puppy to be part of the guide dog training

program. "My first dog was a black lab," noted the Stockbridge

resident. She and several other "puppy trainers" from the metro

Atlanta area met in Fayetteville Wednesday night with Julie Aichroth,

Southeastern Guide Dog's puppy coordinator.

This is the guide dog group's

18th year of providing guide dogs free of charge to the blind. Southeastern

is one of only 10 guide dog schools in the country and graduates about

125 teams per year.

For information about the program

or how to be a supporter, sponsor or puppy raiser, phone 1-800-944-3647.