Guidelines
- Welcome
- The Chupa Chup puppy sponsors
- Service dogs get signed up for postgraduate study
- One of the first graduates tells all
- New guide dog team redefines Solo
- Winsome's Web World
- Correction to Winter 2003 Outlook
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Welcome
It has been a busy time for Guide Dog Services. Since the last issue of Guidelines we have had matching meetings, a successful visit from September 11 survivor Michael Hingson and his guide dog Roselle and a project showing guide dog puppies on the Internet, to name a few. Meanwhile, our overseas guide dog instructor cadets are progressing really well. All are producing well-trained dogs, participating in matching meetings and centre-based, residential and domiciliary guide dog classes. Now we are looking forward to a significant series of events coming up in both the North and South Islands, that will officially celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the first New Zealand graduated guide dog teams. Prime Minister Helen Clark, the Honourable George Hawkins, Dame Catherine Tizzard, Sir Barry Curtis, guide dog handlers, Guide Dog Services volunteers and other distinguished guests have been invited to an event on 18 October at Guide Dog Services. I look forward to telling you about it in the next issue!
The Chupa Chup puppy sponsors
What do six girls in a small New Zealand town get up to during the summer holidays when they're bored? Six go mad in Waimarama? No. Leila Cross and her friends formed the Chupa Chup Club to do something worthwhile, and began fundraising to sponsor a puppy. The girls, all aged between 10 and 12, ran a raffle last Christmas and went door-to-door with a photo of Merlin, a German Shepherd guide dog puppy, asking for donations. The response in their local community in the Hawkes Bay has been positive.
"Most people gave us some money," says Leila. "We've raised $120 so far."
The Chupa Chups, now seven in number, plan to sponsor Merlin until he finishes his training. Merlin, who has seven brothers and
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sisters, is being puppy walked on Auckland's North Shore until he is 18 to 24 months old.
The girls' newest fundraising idea is offering pony rides on their two ponies and selling bags of horse manure. How much do they want to raise?
"As much as possible," says Leila. "And we'll probably sponsor another puppy after that."
Service dogs get signed up for postgraduate study
New research about to be carried out by Massey University hopes to determine whether adult service dog behaviour can be predicted from puppy behaviour.
Dr Vicki Erceg, a lecturer in behaviour and service dog health, is just beginning her postgraduate study that will follow a progressive number of litters of both police and guide dogs right through from early puppyhood, to graduation.
"We're hoping, through using videotapes and questionnaires, to pick up any potential problems with certain dogs-for example if they're shy - and identify early on those personality traits that are either ill - or well-suited to service dogs."
The subjects of her study will primarily be Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds. Dr Erceg says there are few good studies around to use as a basis for her postgraduate research, although that scenario is changing.
"We'll be looking carefully at other research being undertaken to make sure we're investigating appropriate aspects of service dog behaviour and personality."
The study, within Massey's Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, will be nationwide and Dr Erceg plans to work with puppy walkers, trainers and staff at Guide Dog Services as well as at the Royal New Zealand Police Dog Training Centre. Her results will be available in around three to four years' time.
One of the first graduates tells all
Christchurch resident Dot Beard was one of the first graduates of the New Zealand Guide Dog Training Centre. Losing her sight to glaucoma over 30 years ago, Dot was paired up with guide dog Gypsy in August 1973. She and Gypsy, a yellow Labrador Retriever, worked together for 11 years and Dot is now working with her fourth guide dog, Phoebe, a black curly coated Retriever.
Dot says the idea of becoming one of the pioneers of the Guide Dog Training Centre in New Zealand didn't affect her much, but the huge amount of freedom it offered her was mind-boggling. "I can't believe how much it opened doors. Although of course back in those days with a guide dog you were still not allowed on public transport, or in many shops.
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And I'll never forget the day I was told to leave the Botanic Gardens!"
Dot says it has taken years to educate people that a guide dog is an integral part of a blind or vision impaired person's life. Today, guide dogs are legally allowed to go everywhere with their users (except burns units in hospitals, and zoos).
New guide dog team redefines Solo
As the thirtieth anniversary of Guide Dog Services graduates draws near, Terry Ligget, a property manager for a South Auckland school, is getting used to working with his second guide dog Solo. After more than eight years with his first guide dog Lionel, Terry was matched with chocolate Labrador Retriever Solo in July. Fifty-two-year-old Terry lost the majority of his sight to retinitis pigmentosa and says working with a guide dog has given him so much freedom and independence.
"My eyesight has deteriorated a lot since I began working with a guide dog," says Terry, "so I can't imagine what it would be like to cope without one now."
Terry says being recently matched and learning to work as a team with Solo has brought back lots of memories of getting to know Lionel. "It's different when you have a young keen guide dog to work with again. You have to have confidence in the new dog and trust that he's going to do what he's supposed to." But Terry thinks that he and Solo are doing just fine.
"I'm very pleased with him, he's great," he says.
Winsome's Web World
Kleenex (Kimberly-Clark) has been supporting the RNZFB's Guide Dog Services since 1999 by sponsoring the puppy nursery. The RNZFB and Kleenex are now working in partnership with The Manurewa High School, a close
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neighbour of Guide Dog Services, on an online project aimed at New Zealand schools. Guide dog puppy Winsome, a yellow Labrador Retriever is the focus of the project which has been made available to other schools around the country through The Manurewa High School's website, www.manurewa.school.nz/winsome.
"Winsome's Web World" publishes the observations of six biology students from The Manurewa High School who are monitoring and examining the science of guide dog puppy breeding, development and training by following Winsome's progress.
Born in June to guide dog brood bitch Whim (Mum) and guide dog stud dog Fonz (Dad), Winsome's progress can be tracked by website visitors viewing pictures of her. The family of one of the students directly involved in following Winsome's progress is puppy walking Winsome.
Breeding services manager for Guide Dog Services, Lauren Elgie, says that Winsome's Web World is an excellent tool for educating the public about guide dogs. "It's such a neat idea for students and as far as I know, it's the first time that a guide dog puppy's progress has been tracked in this way. We're really excited to be involved with this and hope that it encourages students to think science and genetics is an interesting subject-which it is!"
Correction to Winter 2003 Outlook
The previous Guidelines section featured a story titled "Our million-hour woman". The article stated that Elda Taylor had clocked up nearly a million hours of voluntary service. Of the one million hours given by the volunteers who assist Guide Dog Services each year, (many in roles providing care for 24 hours, seven days a week), we estimate Elda's individual contribution to be closer to 100,000 hours.