Top Dog Post
From breeding to puppy raising to training to after school support, GDB is an extraordinary organization!
Today, when I meet young children who are trying to understand my situation, I tell them I don’t know my colors. As a young person, mobility wasn’t much of an issue for me because I had an idyllic environment for a totally blind child and a marvelously supportive family. I had good enough obstacle perception to ride a bike and roller skate. Most important, the adults in my environment made sure that I was not isolated or excluded. This was a marvelous blessing that I did not appreciate at the time.
It was only after graduating from college and going to work as an account executive for a radio station that I started to understand the real challenges of blindness both socially and from a mobility standpoint.
From the time I was a teenager, I had received a braille magazine from The Seeing Eye annually. I didn’t get much Braille in the mail those days so I read it every time it came. That planted a seed of interest so when I found myself frustrated by both the social and travel needs of my job, I inquired about a Seeing Eye Dog. At the time, I thought its social benefits would outweigh its mobility advantages. Seeing Eye agreed and they encouraged me to try it. By the time I received an invitation to the school I had changed jobs and no longer had the same needs for a guide dog. After a two year wait at Seeing Eye, I got a wonderful male yellow lab, a dog named Harvard. The most unexpected thrill of that experience was walking around my neighborhood and going shopping with our newborn daughter in a backpack; something I would never do with a cane! Unfortunately, Harvard and I didn’t settle well so I returned him after about a year. The Seeing Eye was spectacular in this experience and I have nothing but praise for them.
In my mid 60s I found myself once again frustrated by certain limitations of blindness, but this time I had more of a need, more time, and the benefit of a cell phone with a remote set of eyes when needed. As my kids grew older and moved away and as I wasn’t as engaged in my work life, I wanted to expand my travel options and improve my social situation. The challenge I never expected as a blind adult was the isolation blindness causes in the increasingly fragile tech heavy world we live in. With much trepidation, I approached GDB about trying a guide dog again. Their admissions process was spectacular. They said yes, I said yes, and I received my dog guide, Paulette, late in 2018. In retrospect, getting her just before the pandemic was a great stroke of luck!
Paulette serves as a terrific guide, a wonderful icebreaker in public, and a true companion. I love exploring new areas, walking on the beach, and going to the grocery store with her on a biweekly basis.
