BY ANN RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos
Los Alamos went from no guide dogs to three dogs in 18 months. You have probably seen us around town so I would like to take a moment and answer some of the questions that I get asked.
The most common question is, “Are you training him?”. My dog is the yellow lab you might see
around town. He was trained at Leader Dog in Michigan and I went there for my training. Leader Dog treat trains their dogs so you may see me giving my dog treats as we navigate around town. The other thing that adds confusion to this question is that I have a little central vision and so I can make eye contact, though trust me I don’t see much of you. The conventional wisdom is that it takes a year to form a good team with your guide dog. I brought him home in November so we are definitely still in that first year but we will probably be training each other through out our relationship.
Another question is, “Can I pet your dog?”. These dogs are very well socialized and friendly and
would love to have you pay a lot of attention to them. But if they have their harness on they are
working and we are depending on them to be aware of the things we can’t see. At Leader Dog the instructors used to say that petting a dog who is working is like someone grabbing the steering wheel of your car when you are driving. An example is once when we were walking and stopped at a corner waiting to cross a street. I had heard a car so told my dog to wait. When that car went by I told him to go but he refused to move. Then I heard the sound of a second car. If I had been using my cane I would have crossed the street when the first car passed. The first car masked the sound of the other car.
People also wonder if my dog is ever “just a dog”. When he is in harness he is definitely working but once we are home and I take the harness off he is totally “dog”. He is still a well trained dog but definitely dog.
Recently I was asked if my dog bites. The basis of this question is that my dog is still young. He was just 18 months when I met him. When we go places with lots of people I put him in a Gentle Leader headcollar which helps him to focus. It is not a muzzle and does not hurt him. He really does love people and is not aggressive.
Leader Dog trained my dog to walk on the left of the sidewalk. It gives him a good line to follow and it puts me in the middle of the sidewalk so I don’t have to worry about tripping off the curb or walking into someone’s yard. I know that usually people walk on the right and this can cause some confusion. When I see you coming towards us I’ll try to move us to the right. It will work for now but I am at the end of my vision and there will come a time when I won’t be able to see you coming and some of my blind friends are already at that place. Please know that we really appreciate when you adjust to make it easier for us.
Another thing that blind people really appreciate is when you greet us and identify yourself, like “Hi Ann, It’s Fred Smith”. When I’m out walking I am really having to concentrate so even when I
upon a dear friend I may not recognize you right away but I do want to “see” you and greet you so for letting me know you are there and who you are.
My blind friends and I often talk about what a great town Los Alamos is to be blind in. It is small
enough that we can walk most places once we get downtown and the people here are friendly and very helpful. Thanks so much for your help as we try to navigate life with our disability