getting them ready for a life of service and love
collected & edited by Carolyn Wing Greenlee
Foreword by G. Morgan Watkins
Acting President and CEO
Guide Dogs for the Blind
July 2010 – December 2011
One day, at the age of 11, the little boy that I was died. That day my parents told me I would go blind. I had an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa. Suddenly, I went from being a carefree, goofy kid, just like others in the neighborhood, to a young man whose future had changed suddenly and irrevocably; I would become a blind person. Although I have never been sad about the loss of my vision, then or now, the innocent little boy ceased to exist. I turned my focus to adapting to a new world that lay ahead of me.
That was 46 years ago, but I remember it as though it was yesterday. On the first day of my new life, I remember looking out the dining room window. The leaves on the walnut tree seemed especially vibrant and green. Everything had changed. I had already begun to soak in the visual memories, to store them away for what I assumed would be eventual darkness.
I also began to ponder how I was going to succeed in life without my vision. When my family visited New Orleans shortly after my diagnosis, I happened upon a gnarled old beggar with a white cane and a tin cup. I was shocked at how this image matched my own mental picture of what a blind person would need to do to survive. I knew then I was going to have to work harder, longer, and smarter than those around me if I wanted to reach my own goals.
There have been times in our history when the blind were shunned, locked away, or left at home. Today, there are still challenges and misconceptions to overcome. We have not completely integrated into a sighted world. Yet I feel fortunate to have been born in this era. There is a greater realization that those of us with physical differences are still ready to work hard to be a part of our society.
I enjoyed a 30-year career at the University of Texas at Austin, taking advantage of my computer science education, immersing myself in technology and moving up the management ladder. After a short retirement, I served nearly a year and a half as the Acting President and CEO of Guide Dogs for the Blind. That was the best temporary job in the world! And, while my careers progressed, I also reveled in the joy of my family, raising a wonderful son with my wife. Life has been very good to me.
Despite my personal happiness and successful career, I was long aware of something that I did miss after I’d gone blind. I was an expert white cane user, but I grew tired of always “seeing” by collision. I discovered my environment, including people and things, by running into them. Some people are very comfortable with the constant attention to each step. I coveted the freedom I used to enjoy when I could see far ahead of me, when I could go anywhere I wanted, at any time I wanted, at any pace I wanted, without the need for constant vigilance. I wanted to smell the coffee, feel gravel underfoot, to listen to laughter down the street. More than 20 years after picking up my first white cane, I decided to try something new that I thought might give me additional freedom. I contacted Guide Dogs for the Blind, headquartered in San Rafael, California. And, on August 23, 1995, I received my first Guide Dog, Fantom.
It was glorious. With Fantom, I could fly. I could soar down sidewalks without hitting trash cans, tricycles, or tree limbs. Do you know how I used to “see” tree limbs when I was using my cane? With my face! But with Fantom, I was free to enjoy my surroundings, to know that I was safe.
I received my second dog in 2004, another Golden Retriever, named Will. And, as happens to so many other Guide Dog handlers, my dog has become a part of me. Although we are connected only by my hand on his harness handle, it is as though we are a single entity. When we are working together we move as one. My dark red dog initially gets most of the attention, but that works for me. My dog is the perfect ice-breaker and that helps me make connections. I love people “seeing” me for who I am and not just for my blindness. When you work with a perfectly trained dog all day, every day, you really can move smoothly in a sighted world. I love it.
Of course, none of this miracle could happen if it were not for the people who take new puppies into their homes and help them learn to be extremely well-behaved, to become good house guests, to be confident, happy and calm. These generous people are known as puppy raisers. They give their hearts and souls to these dogs. They pour in all their love and then, just when the dog is a perfect companion, they bring it back to our school for guidework training. And, if their work and the dog’s health and temperament are aligned just right, their reward is likely to be saying good-bye to the very dear dog they raised. I love these people and I deeply appreciate their gift to those of us who cannot see. It is an extraordinary gift to give another person. To my own puppy raisers, Carrie and Nona, thank you. I love you. You have given me so much, even before you knew who I was. Because of you, I no longer see the world through my old blue eyes, I see it through big, beautiful, brown eyes.
In this book, you will read about the feelings of many puppy raisers, and you will hear from others, such as breeder custodians, that are all important contributors to the life cycle of a service animal. You’ll understand their joys and heartbreaks, what it is like to take a cute bundle of fur into their homes, to deal with shredded shoes and little puddles on the carpet. You’ll count the shadows of developing puppies on a sonogram as they grow inside their mother. You’ll join puppy raisers when they drop off their mature dog for training, and you’ll experience the joy of watching a very special and highly educated Dog make a difference in another person’s life.
So, turn the page quickly and join us for a very special adventure. And, perhaps you’ll want to join this very special volunteer lifestyle and make a difference in a puppy’s life and that of a very lucky human.
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