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Dog days: (continued)
He had never met this person before, yet he
followed him closely, and when people tried
to come between me and my friend, Abel
would zig-zag between them as if to say, ‘No,
you’re not messin’ me up!’
Jenifer Barr and Abel
For supervisory tax examining technician
Bret E. Collins from Fresno, the dog-human
partnership has distinct roles. He considers
himself as the navigator and his dog Dexter
as the eyes. “When we travel, I have to know
where we are and where we’re going. Dexter’s
job is to make sure that we get there
safely. He’ll even disobey my command if
I’ve misjudged something. We commute to work
door on the train and navigating around other
passengers on the platform. Dexter has been an
invaluable part of my adjustment to being totally
keep going. He’s nearing retirement, and will soon
be living the dog’s life, keeping a loving eye on my
wife at home.” Bret Collins and Dexter
Hard work goes into every human-service dog relationship.
Contact representative Sagi McCleary
from Kansas City distinctly remembers the emotional
challenge of having to retire one service dog,
then meeting Star, her current companion. “Here
enters this lady, still a pup in so many ways. We
weren’t fond of each other for about two weeks.
where I was working at the time as a rehab teacher. As a treat, we were
invited to the Marine Corps Ball. I believe Star
military base and attend the Ball.”
In August, Sagi and Star attended the Seeing
Eye’s 90th anniversary in Morristown, New Jersey
(where Star was trained). Then they headed
to a 10-day adventure in California, where
among other activities, Star and Sagi walked
through a redwood forest, walked the Golden
Gate Bridge and attended her 50th high school
reunion.
“Star is my guiding light, my favorite being in
this entire Universe, my spirit friend who makes
miracles happen every single day. There are six
feet to this miracle, my two and her four. We
walk toward a light that only a blind person with a well-trained seeing eye dog
Sagi McCleary and Star Published On: 9/3/2019