Dog days: Get to know some working dogs that help our
visually impaired employees
“I love him and trust him with my life every time we walk out the door.”
That’s Scott from Mesa, Arizona describing his seeingeye
dog Sailor. They’ve been together just under a
year, but literally have hundreds of miles under their
belts. “Five days a week, at 5 a.m., Sailor guides
me on a four-mile exercise route before starting work
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through the halls and corridors and helps me get to
all the places I need to go around the complex and
surrounding area. We’ve also traveled together for
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states.
“Once, we were walking down the sidewalk along a very busy street when
he took me to the curb like we were going to cross the street. I instructed
him to move back into position on the sidewalk and to go forward. After the
third time with this back and forth, I pulled out my cane to investigate the
environment. I found that construction workers had torn up the sidewalk and
dug a hole approximately six feet deep and left the area completely unbarricaded.
Had I been using my cane and walking
at my normal pace, I would probably be six feet
under, literally!”
These hard-working canines not only keep their
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administrative assistant Julie Nakano from Santa
Barbara, California notes her guide dog Coraline
has truly changed her life. “I can go anywhere I
want without having to wait on a family member
to help me. Coraline and I hike, shop and go out
for long walks. The greatest thing she has done
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Before I had her, I had to make sure I got home
from work before dark. No matter what I needed,
even if it was just something from the store or to
go out to dinner, I’d have to wait until the weekend
when I could go during the day,” she added.
Julie Hakano and Coraline
The service dogs in this story help employees with visual impairments, but, by
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for an individual with a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other type
of disability. (In contrast, a support animal can give companionship, relieve
loneliness and may help with depression, anxiety and certain phobias, but
doesn’t have special training to perform tasks to help people with disabilities.)
Service dogs learn many of the same tasks that help their owners, but each
is unique, too. Lead contact representative Jenifer Barr from Cleveland, Ohio
describes her dog Abel as having “such a personality -- but keeping his mind
on work when it needs to be.” She also describes him as possibly the smartest
dog she’s ever had. “The moment that cemented our team was the day we
were coming home from the school where I got him. He followed my friend
through the airport like a pro. >>>>
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SERVICE DOGS