TEN LITTLE WET NOSES TOUCHED OUR LIVES

When I was 16 I desperately wanted a guide dog. I went to bed every night and got up every morning with these thoughts tormenting me. My father was totally against the idea and quickly told me to get it out of my head.

When I was 25 I developed an inner ear problem which caused me to be very dizzy and off balance. I had to give up my job as a rehab teacher and was unable to go out of the house alone for almost two years. Friends of ours suggested that perhaps getting a guide dog would help to rebuild my self confidence. I felt I was ready for the challenge.

In August of 1982 I went to Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Michigan to get my first guide dog named Taffy. She was a beautiful caramel-coloured golden retriever. She gave me a new sense of freedom and independence and I will always be grateful to her for that.

Ron had never wanted a guide dog. He told me that he would never brush her or take her out or feed her or do anything for her. . But the first winter that Taffy was with us, I cut my left hand on a broken window and had to have 13 stitches. Ron helped me with Taffy and soon decided that a guide dog would be a great asset with his travels as a piano tuner. Seven months later, in April of 1983, Ron was on a plane to Leader Dogs to get Max. Max was a beautiful male golden retriever who never tired of traveling on city buses and metros. Taffy was with us till she developed cataracts at the age of 11. Max was with us till he was 10½ and no longer able to climb the stairs. Since they had been together most of their working lives we did not want to see them split up. We were fortunate to find a beautiful home with a wonderful lady named Ruth Petrie who lived in Chelsea Quebec. They spent nearly three wonderful years of retirement with their new found friend who treated them like royalty

Sara and Seymour were the next two golden retrievers to come into our lives. They were Champaign coloured and were brother and sister from the same litter. We were so fortunate to be able to train together as a couple. This time we didn’t have to travel as far to get them. We went to Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind in Manotick, just outside of Ottawa. People stopped us on the street, no matter where we were, to find out where we got our beautiful dogs. They were with us till they were 9 years old and had to retire early because of arthrosis in their hips which made it difficult for them to get on and off of buses. This time we were fortunate enough to have my sister and brother-in-law, Jenny and Paul Lajeunesse, offer their home for a happy retirement for them. They loved them and cherished them for four years.

In October 1999 Ron and I went back to Canadian Guide Dogs for our next two dogs. Orla was my dog, a beautiful male yellow Labrador. Ron’s new dog was Quaker, a beautiful black lab. It was so nice to be able to train together again. Spending a month away from home to train with a new dog is always a stressful experience so it was nice for us to be there together. Unfortunately Orla was with us for only 9 months because he found the hustle-bustle of city life a little too stressful. He was fortunate to be able to go back to live with his puppy walker family and is now living in Kirkland.

Only a few weeks after Orla left us I once again went back to Canadian Guide Dogs to meet Roxi, another beautiful female golden retriever. Roxi was a real social butterfly. Her favourite activity was shopping. Unfortunately she preferred being a Wall-Mart greeter over being a guide dog so had to retire after only 22 months with us. She is now living in the Ottawa area.

In September of 2002, after having been without a guide dog for three months, I traveled a little further to Boring Oregon to meet Gladys, my beautiful Labrador/golden retriever cross. She is an eager little girl with lots of initiative and tells me that she plans on sticking with me till she’s at least 12 years old.

In September 2004 it was Ron’s turn to have to retire Quaker and to go back to guide dog school again. After only five years Quaker had decided that he had had enough. He had become very dog distracted and was feeling so stressed that he often had accidents while working in harness. This behavior was unacceptable and was making Ron’s life very difficult.

Quaker has gone to live with one of our nephews. Scott and his wife, Sophie, absolutely adore him and Cassandra and Elizabeth, their two little girls, have fallen head over heals in love with him. Every day they take turns feeding and walking him.

Two days after Quaker left us Ron left for San Rafael California to meet his new dog, McKenna. McKenna is a beautiful male yellow Lab. He’s so soft and cuddly, just like a big old teddy-bear. Gladys and I fell instantly in love with him when Ron brought him home in October 2004. McKenna has only been with us for just over 6 months now but he fit in so well it’s like he was always here.

McKenna is an extremely sensitive dog. Ron’s mom got ill just after her 95th birthday and was bed-ridden for the last month of her life. Ron and I and the two dogs sat by her bedside every day during that difficult time. One afternoon while we were all sitting next to her McKenna suddenly jumped up on the bed and lay down beside her. He had never done that before and we were very surprised by his strange behavior. Less than one hour later she passed away very quietly. We had no idea that dogs could sense such things.

Well, my dream that Gladys would be with us till she was twelve didn’t come true. She had to retire at 5-1/2 years old because of an anterior cruciate ligament problem in her left knee wich made it very painful for her to walk down the stairs or climb into cars or get on buses. We cried when we realized that she would have to go back. Even McKenna appeared to be depressed for several months after she left.

In September of 2006 I was off again to get another dog, this time in San Rafael California. . This time I had to bring Gladys back with me so that she could go to her new home. Half an hour after arriving at the school one of my instructors knocked on my door and informed me that it was time for Gladys to go to the kennels. I thought my heart was going to break in two. It was one of the most difficult things I had to do. Gladys now lives with a lovely family in Portland Oregon. Their names are Barb and John Curran.

The day after I arrived in California a new boy came into my life. His name is Braden and he is a beautiful yellow lab. He loves to work but at times he gets so excited that he wants to jump on everyone he meets. I call him my little kangaroo.

This time it took us a little longer to become a great team. Three weeks after we came home from California my mom passed away very unexpectedly. I was in shock and very depressed for several months and because of that Braden didn’t get the attention he so badly needed. We didn’t get out much that winter. Braden developed some serious allergies that nearly caused him to retire early.

We discovered that he is allergic to nickel, nylon and cedar and since we have eliminated these things from his life he is doing much better. He had to get a new Swiss harness which has no nickel in it. Now he works like a real pro! He may even turn out to be one of my best guide dogs. We’ll see as time goes on.