Meghan's Story
Dog Guide Etiquette
Elli
Training Journal 1999
Dori
Dori's Homecoming
Dori At Three
Cane or Dog Guide?
The First Seeing Eye Dogs
Dog Guides and Stereotypes
The Battle for Access
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This page is dedicated to my four dog guides and is here to provide information for dog guide users and others who have some interest in the topic of dog guides and service dogs.
Guide dogs are among a larger class of working dogs commonly known as service dogs or assistance dogs. These dogs perform a variety of functions for people with disabilities, including retrieving objects, pulling wheelchairs, and alerting deaf people to certain sounds. I have done a bit of research on dogs which assist people who have seizures. Information about these dogs is very hard to find, and I am still not certain where they are trained. To my knowledge they can be trained to alert help if a person is having a seizure or to stay with a person during a seizure. I have heard some people report that their dogs alert them to impending seizures, but this is not something that every dog will do or that schools train them to do.
I began working with Elli, my first dog guide, in 1991. She worked for eight years and had a happy retirement at my parents' home in Indiana. Elli passed away on January 2, 2003, at the age of 13. For more information about my experiences with her, read Elli's story.
As Elli began to slow down and show signs that working in crowded places was no longer enjoyable for her, I began to think about retiring her. I began to take trips without her, trying to prepare myself for official retirement. At first, going places without Elli was difficult emotionally. Although I had left her at home at times during her working life, this had always been a choice and there were many places where she accompanied me regularly. The finality of my decision hit me when I took a two-week vacation without her. I often opened my mouth to call her when my friend and I were leaving the house. Upon returning, I expected to be greeted by her when we came back from an outing. I laughed about these things, but they were also very painful reminders of the decision I had made. Of course, Elli enjoyed her retired life, but she also enjoyed working very much. At times I wondered if I chose the right time to retire her; but both of us adjusted and enjoyed frequent visits until I moved to Florida shortly before her death.
On September 25, 1999, I returned to the Seeing Eye to train with a new dog. I kept a journal, and it is available online. Go to the journal index.
My journal entries provided the fodder for several articles which were published in The Braille Forum, the monthly publication of the American Council of the Blind. Expanded versions of the articles are available on this site.
Sadly, Dori experienced medical problems which interfered with her work. I have placed a final article on this site, "Retiring Dori," in which I discuss my final months with Dori and the decision to retire early. Dori now lives with a family in Indiana, and she is in moderate though declining health as of May, 2010, at age 12.
In October, 2001, I returned to the Seeing Eye for training with Meghan, a sweet and very confident yellow Labrador retriever. Meghan was raised by a teacher, and anywhere where there are children is a place where she likes to be. If you have children, I hope they will join you in reading Meghan's story, which is written from Meghan's point of view.
Due to a leg injury which resulted in the development of arthritis and the onset of seizures in reaction to anti-inflammatory medication, Meghan retired at age seven in early 2007. In May, 2007, I again returned to Morristown for training, this time with Loretta, a yellow Labrador/golden retriever cross. My journey with Loretta has been different from any of my previous journeys. More on this journey soon...
Like all dogs from the Seeing Eye, my dogs spent their first year living with a family who took responsibility for exposing them to various real-life situations. If you would like more information about what puppy raisers do or how you can become a puppy raiser, please visit the puppy raiser page.
Many people wonder how traveling with a dog compares to traveling with a cane. Comparing the two travel methods is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. A person may prefer one method, but neither method is better or more effective. The October, 1995, Braille Monitor was dedicated to the topic of dog guides vs. canes. This is a fairly long download, and the articles are quite controversial. Reading them can stir up deep emotions.
I have also written a paper about this topic: "Cane or Dog Guide?". In this paper, I describe my observations and experiences with dog and cane. I also provide tips for preparing for training with a dog guide.
Sarah J. Blake