Guidelines
- Joe's column
- Bayleys Update
- Two great new matches
- Verna and Oram
- New man in Pauline's life
- Puppies head south
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Joe's column
Tena koutou katoa aku hoa. A new guide dog handlers' agreement has just been approved and will be in place for all new handlers from now on. The agreement will ensure there's a more shared approach to the relationship between handlers and their dog and Guide Dog Services. Any changes to the relationship will be made jointly but the Foundation will still ultimately own the dog, pay for its registration and be the first port of call for legal problems. While we will be recommending the new agreement to all existing guide dog handlers, it isn't compulsory.
The Foundation is keen to be involved in research that could benefit our members or the blind community abroad. In what is believed to be a world-first for guide dog schools, Joanna Black, a University of Auckland School of Optometry PhD student, is currently testing our guide dogs to discover new insights into myopia. This research could then benefit humans as well as dogs. Up till now there has been no way to discover if guide dogs have myopia. No behavioural patterns have indicated any problems amongst our guide dogs. This is despite the fact that previous international studies have found a significant percentage of all dogs become myopic. Joanna hopes to find the gene responsible for myopia as part of her PhD, which she plans to finish by 2008.
Bayleys Update
Guide Dog Services is well thought of in the international guide dog community and the success of its relationship with principal sponsor Bayleys has caught people's eye. According to Helen McKenzie, Divisional Manager, Adaptive Living, this partnership has become something people look up to and want to know more about. Speaking recently at the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) seminar in the US, Helen explained why the relationship with Bayleys is so successful.
"To put it simply, it comes down to the passion and dedication shown by Bayleys staff across the country. There is total emotional buy-in from Bayleys staff from local realtors to the top man whose name is on the door. Even the strap line suits both organisations - "Before guidance comes trust" says Helen. "In fact, at a recent management meeting in Nelson owner John Bayley made the comment that the multi-million dollar commercial real estate deal he had just closed in the US dimmed in comparison to their relationship with the Foundation's Guide Dog Services!" The IGDF Seminar was also an
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opportunity to network with other guide dog schools and share knowledge.
Two great new matches
"Guide Dog Services has an intense matching process which is vital to creating a successful team," says Joe Walker, National Manager GDS. The GDS team has to look at factors such as the handler's lifestyle, personality and physical traits to ensure they are matched with a guide dog that will meet their needs. For example a young, active, social person may need a guide dog who is comfortable around many people, is a fast-walker and doesn't mind a busy lifestyle. On the other hand the needs of an elderly person may be quite different.
"While we do our best to ensure a successful match, occasionally we do have to re-match the guide dog with someone more suitable.And rather than matching twice a year we're now matching right throughout the year, to try and reduce waiting times," says Joe.
Verna and Oram
Verna Walcott and Oram, a two-year-old yellow Labrador, were matched earlier this year when Oram's initial match did not work out.
And Verna is over the moon with Oram, her fourth guide dog. Oram is Verna's first male, though she says she doesn't notice any difference between him and the three girls she previously worked with.
Oram and Verna can always be found together travelling to work on the bus or going for recreational walks that sometimes start in the early hours of the morning. Oram even goes to gym with Verna to her Pilates class!
When asked what Oram does during the class, she laughs, "He tries to participate". This is
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indicative of Oram's friendly nature - he gets on well with everybody and "likes to socialise", says Verna.
At home, Oram has his own bed in Verna's office room, and she is looking forward to the summer months when the two of them can do some gardening together. While she's not sure how Oram will behave in the garden, she thinks perhaps, "he might try and help with that as well".
New man in Pauline's life
Pauline Johnson has a new man in her life, one she would never be without. She is of course talking about her new guide dog Rodney who she was matched with three months ago after her previous guide dog, 13-year-old Olsen, retired. Pauline couldn't bear to say goodbye to Olsen so he is staying with the family and gets on well with his new housemate.
"The bond between a handler and a guide dog is so amazing it's hard to put into words," says Pauline, "and already that strong bond and sense of trust has started to grow between Rodney and me."
One of Pauline and Rodney's favourite outings is catching the bus into Hamilton with a group of vision-impaired friends, going to the movies and doing some shopping before getting the bus home again to Morrinsville- something she would find difficult to do without Rodney.
"I like to get out and about and do everyday things like most people. The only difference is instead of me hopping in the car, I just pop a harness on Rodney," says Pauline.
Rodney is Pauline's third guide dog and is sponsored by the Manly, Warkworth and Orewa Bayleys offices.
Pauline says she probably had the best guide dog training you can get when she was matched with her first dog in 1988 - it was during Cyclone Bola. There were lots of obstacles they had to negotiate around, and they had to remain calm during all the wild weather. Now a seasoned guide dog handler, Pauline says she loves her boys and is grateful for the difference they have made in her life by allowing her to maintain her independence.
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"Saying goodbye to a guide dog after all they've given you is hard. That's why I'm treasuring the time I still have with Olsen." Olsen and Rodney enjoy their playtime together, perhaps a little too much!
Pauline says she can see something of Olsen in Rodney. Rodney gets on well with everyone he meets but, at two years old, he can be a bit "cheeky and mischievous".
Puppies head south
Over the next twelve months there will be approximately 30 guide dog puppies heading south to be puppy walked in Christchurch. The first puppies to go down in June were from first time mum Ruby who is sponsored by Bayleys Counties/Manukau/Howick.
Robyn Pahl from the Puppy Development team is now based in Christchurch and is over-seeing the southern project.
"Previously we've only had four puppies in Christchurch," says Robyn, "but to broaden awareness of Guide Dog Services and get new people involved we decided to take part of the puppy walking programme to Christchurch."
Robyn says there has been a great response from people in Christchurch wanting to become puppy walkers. Volunteer puppy walkers have a guide dog puppy in their home from seven weeks old to around one year and are responsible for socialising the puppy and getting it used to different environments and situations it may encounter as a guide dog. "I am really impressed with the reception we have had from Christchurch businesses and locals when we are out and about with the guide dog puppies," says Robyn. "Sometimes, simply due to lack of awareness, we do have issues with puppies being refused entry into places despite them being allowed in almost any public place- but not here."
So how do Robyn and the puppies feel about the wintery weather in Christchurch? "We're getting used to it slowly! But I must say it is awfully hard to get the puppies to go outside for a toilet stop!" laughs Robyn.