Guiding Eyes for
the Blind
Erie Region Newsletter
Spring 2007
Sharing the Loss
All raisers,
team and Erie friends and family share in the grieving of the loss of Hildy. The
following letter was written by Hildy’s trainer, Susan Kroha. These great dogs
are so loved by the training staff...
“I
cannot imagine what you're feeling as you read this letter. I wanted to tell you a little about Hildy's month in
training with me. From the start, I knew she was special. She shared a run with
another yellow girl, and it wasn't until I had her on leash and out of her run
that I saw that tiny white tuft of hair at the tip of her tail. My first
notes on her read ‘sweet, composed girl, lovely temperament’. She was always
very excited to get out of the kennel, jumping and nodding her head as I tried
to get a collar on her. She nodded up and down, like she was laughing. It was
the funniest thing. Once on leash I saw that she had lovely manners. You did a
wonderful job. She took to the harness extremely well, and loved to get her
treats as we started clicker training. Hildy was very bright and picked up on
the basics very quickly. I had to take a couple of days off to go to a
conference and, when I returned, I was pleasantly surprised that Hildy
remembered everything she was taught. She learned forward more quickly
that most of my dogs. I genuinely looked forward to working with her because
she was so refined and focused, affectionate, and she was so easy to teach! I
came to work last weekend, and she was as happy as ever, bouncing in her run
and waving her tail. We started to work in town this week. She really did
not seem to feel ill at all.
We had our last workout Friday afternoon. We worked in a
quiet neighborhood in Peekskill, on a grass-lined street with lots of trees.
The weather was beautiful. I remember marveling at her when she stopped for
curbs after only a few trips in town. I looked down at her, gave her a Charlee
Bear treat, and told her how smart she was. She seemed to be subdued, so I asked
the vet staff to look at her when we returned to the school. She was very well
cared for and she spent the afternoon with them. She had a bed and toys. I sat
on the floor with her for a while, and she came into my lap and kissed my ears.
I checked on her again before I went home and she was resting comfortably.
My
heart is broken for you. Please know that I love Hildy dearly and I miss her
all the time. I dedicate the training of all my dogs to her memory.”
The Nose Knows
It’s clear
that dogs have more sensitive noses than humans but researchers don’t know
exactly how much. Dogs have 20 to 40
times as many olfactory receptor cells as humans and the part of the canine
brain devoted to smells - the olfactory lobe - is four times larger than a
human’s.
Dog’s exceptional
olfactory skills are put to new uses every day. While commonly used to track criminals and search out explosives
and drugs, dogs have some newer, more novel employment today. Here are a few amazing sniffing jobs: bed-bug detection in Manhattan hotels,
detecting when a cow is ready for mating, sniffing water samples to detect
whether ponds will give farm-raised catfish an odd-flavor, detecting noxious
weeds and sniffing out leaks in gas pipelines.
Increasingly,
researchers employ dogs to benefit at-risk wildlife. Considered the world’s first dog to make a living finding the
scat of endangered killer whales, this ball-crazed dog gets to play with his
favorite toy when he picks up the scat scent.
By analyzing the scat, researchers are finding what is killing whales in
the Pacific Northwest. Scat analysis
avoids the need to chase elusive animals to obtain blood or tissue samples,
that reveal what the whale eats and its DNA.
Another dog learned to sniff out the scat of caribou, moose and wolf as part
of an environmental assessment of an area targeted for oil drilling. Other dogs have been trained to locate
threatened species such as desert tortoises so they can be relocated to
protected areas. A beagle tracks pythons in the Everglades. Abandoned by irresponsible pet owners,
pythons eat prey needed by native alligators.
Many
working dogs use their noses to find mold and termites in homes as well as detect
health changes and diseases. A dog can
smell the scent of a mold by-product, microbial gases, making the search for
mold efficient and accurate. Dogs are used to sniff out arson by alerting when
they detect a substance used to start a fire, usually gasoline. Their arson sniffing
skills are well respected since accelerant detection devices are not nearly as
accurate. More research is being conducted on a dog’s ability to detect
malignancy in human cells, oncoming seizures and drops in blood sugar. Any wonder why dogs are man’s best friend!
Local Heroes - Comings & Goings of
our Puppies
Best Wishes to the following dogs and their
proud raisers. Congratulations for a
job well done!
§
Laura
gave lots of hugs to her 2nd puppy Hildy.
§
Diane
& Rick said farewell to their 5th puppy Hans.
§
Alec gave lots of hugs to his raisers
Kathy & Ron. He is their 9th
puppy.
§
Wade said goodbye to Russ & Audrey. He is their 12th puppy.
§
Carol
said farewell to her 1st puppy
Winona.
Welcome to the newest members of our region:
§
Island was welcomed into the home of Laura
& Kelly. She is their 3rd
puppy.
§
Angie, Cecilia’s 3rd puppy, was welcomed
with lots of hugs and kisses.
§
Richard’s
puppy, Anderson, was welcomed with big hugs.
§
Safety on
Spring Walks
Flowers are in bloom, lawns are turning green and
the milder weather calls for both humans and puppies to head outdoors to enjoy
it. But not everything about spring is
sweet and mild. There are things to
watch for when you and your puppy are out walking. Steer clear of these common springtime items that could harm your
puppy: mushrooms have many poisonous varieties; daffodils, crocuses, irises and
other bulb or tuber-rooted flowers have toxic or caustic properties; toads and
frogs of certain types exude toxins when touched; insects become active;
honeybees are busy near flowers and movement can attract your puppy’s
attention; skunks become more active especially during twilight hours. Stay safe while enjoying the fresh spring
air.
Happy 1st Birthday
The
following puppies and raisers are celebrating!
·
Rufus, born on
3/6/06, celebrated his birthday with many hugs from Sharon & Mike.
·
Mr. Handsome, Walden, celebrated his big day
with his raiser Katie. He arrived in
the world on 3/15/06.
·
Barb sang Happy Birthday to sweet Yardley who
was born on 3/16/06.
·
Barkley, born on
3/26/06, was honored at a party with his raiser Sue.
Still the One
The
American Kennel Club’s breed registration statistics for 2006 show that the
Labrador Retriever is still the most popular AKC breed in the US. However, the
Yorkshire Terrier replaced the ever-smiling Golden Retriever in the No. 2
spot. The German Shepherd came in at
No. 3. With the Golden now at No. 4,
the Beagle remains at No. 5.
Grooming - The
Right Routine
As
the seasons change, you want to keep your puppy as comfortable as possible. Grooming encourages good circulation in her
skin, increased healthy oil production to keep her coat shiny and wards off not
only fleas and other pests, but ear infections, tear stains, hot spots and
periodontal disease. Grooming keeps you
hands-on and tuned in to any changes in your puppy’s skin, coat, eyes, ears and
teeth, and can help pinpoint sore areas, lumps and bumps, rashes and signs of
serious health problems.
So,
how do you get started? Routine! Puppies love routines as they help to calm
and reassure them. If something becomes
a regular and infallible part of their day or week, your puppy will soon come
to expect and enjoy it. Here’s how to make grooming part of your normal
routine:
·
Set
a time for grooming and stick to that time every day.
·
Establish
specific cues that will alert your puppy that it’s grooming time such as a
verbal cue ‘Grooming Time!’, physical cue of pulling out the brush/clippers and
sensory cues such as a special toy or healthy treat you offer only for good
grooming behavior.
·
Choose
a grooming location and use it every time.
When you go to this location your puppy will know what’s coming and, as
long as you keep grooming fun, she’ll follow you eagerly. Once she is
accustomed to being groomed in this location, move to a new location so she
learns that grooming is fun anywhere!
·
Relax
and enjoy yourself! Nobody sticks with
a routine they hate, so both you and your puppy should enjoy the whole grooming
process. For your puppy, grooming
should feel good. Healthy treats and
plenty of praise help too. For you,
enjoy the relaxation and bonding time with your canine best friend. You do know that petting your puppy lowers
your blood pressure, right?
·
A
dose of will power never hurt. Some
days, you may not feel like grooming your puppy, but she depends on you, not
only for helping her with her personal hygiene, but for that close one-on-one
time you spend together.
·
Finally,
have her groomed professionally at least once so she learns that grooming is
fun with someone else. Penny Lanich, Team
Member and owner of Pawprints by Penny, professionally grooms our puppies at a
discount price. So, give your puppy a
day at the spa - she deserves it!
Blind
graduates are very grateful when their guide dogs enjoy being groomed as they
want to keep their companions healthy and looking their best. It’s the only way a graduate knows if their
guide dog has a health problem. Early
detection is the key to successful treatment.
A raiser can help their puppy enjoy grooming sessions. Its part of the gift we give to the
graduate.
Upcoming Events
Please stop by to lend your support at these events!
However, unless you and your puppy are
scheduled to work at an event, please refrain from
bringing your puppy with you.
4/21/07 -
International Guide Dog Recognition Day at McKinley Mall
5/11/07 -
Presentation at Westfield Academy in Westfield, NY
5/12/07 -
Clarence United Methodist Church Mother/Daughter Banquet
Contact Russ or Mary
Ellen with any Public Relations Events or Speaker’s Bureau requests.
Puppy Jeopardy
Want to win
a Bonus Bone? Below is the Puppy
Jeopardy answer in the Health Care category.
The first class participant to provide the correct question at the next
class wrap-up earns a Bonus Bone. Good
Luck! The irritating bug that can infect your puppy with
the heartworm parasite or pass the West Nile virus to you.
Jack - On the Job
The
following letter was written by a blind graduate whose guide dog Jack was
raised in our region:
“Jack and I
went to the market to pick up a few things.
Our route consists of crossing our apartment complex parking lot, going
thru a gate and crossing a one lane access road used by delivery trucks. On our way home, I heard a loud truck noise
as we approached the access road. Then,
I heard someone tell me to go ahead, he would wait. As we stepped off the curb, Jack pushed me back. I heard the truck skid. As I praised Jack, he pushed me back a
second time, even harder. I never realized Jack had such power in his 72 pound
body. I heard a terrible scraping sound
followed by a loud bang. The truck has
run over the curb. The truck door
opened and a shaken voice said ‘Thank God you’re alright!’ The driver hit a patch of black ice as he
stopped to let us cross. He didn’t see Jack push me back so he thought he hit
both of us. I’m so grateful the driver
was able to control his rig and even more thankful Jack responded quickly and
remained so calm.” Good boy, Jack!
Web
Wise
Raisers need to keep a
watchful eye on their puppy’s weight.
To help you determine if your puppy is within his target weight, go to
the CDC Website at cdc.guidingeyes.org and click on Health Care, Common
Illnesses and Obesity to view the Proper Body Weight Chart. If you have a question about the health
risks associated with too many puppy pounds, click on Obesity Epidemic under
Health Care to read a letter written by Dr. Sandler, GEB Vet. If you have a question about your puppy’s
weight, contact your Area Coordinator.