Guidelines
- Joe Walker, National Manager, Guide Dog Services
- A million reasons to celebrate!
- Bayley and Dot
- Origin Pacific guide dog changes
- Vodafone volunteer planting
- Guide dog York gets gold card
- Screening passengers with a guide dog
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Joe Walker, National Manager, Guide Dog Services
Tena koutou katoa aku hoa. Woof woof my friends, this is Guide Dog Bayley here. Joe's gone off with Guide Dog Anzac on holiday and left me in charge of the office, much to Sheryl's dismay. Joe seemed quite happy for me to sit in for him but thank goodness Anzac gave me some sound advice: "Don't stain the carpet or smudge the windows with your nose or leave lots of hairs on his chair or slurp from his favorite coffee cup otherwise he'll get mad!"
Phew, it's been a busy year. I've been matched with this grrrreat woman called Dot. Woof woof, you can read more about that here in Guidelines, and of course, more about Bayleys Realty Group the principal sponsor for Guide Dog Services. They officially recognised me at the wonderful graduation evening.
Oh, and by the way, Joe says Merry Christmas. Plus a big thanks to everyone who's given time, money and energy to making sure pups like me don't waste the $22,500 it takes to get us trained and out there working.
A million reasons to celebrate!
Our partnership with Bayleys Realty Group is one of the most successful in the 115-year history of the Foundation, and two recent milestones bring this home loud and clear.
As mentioned above by Bayley himself, the first guide dog sponsored by Bayleys Realty Group was officially matched with Christchurch's Dot Beard. The matching for all intents and purposes seems heaven-sent (see our following article). And yet this is not the biggest milestone. It was also announced that the incredible team at Bayleys had raised more than $1 million for Guide Dog Services. "I'm relatively unflappable, but it's hard for me to talk about this without getting emotional," says Foundation CEO Paula Daye. "In our wildest dreams, we never thought they'd raise $1m in just over 18 months. Without this support, we simply would not have been able to deliver the services required by our members. This relationship is just huge." Never an organisation to rest on their laurels, Bayleys Realty Group now have set their sights on sponsoring a total of 100 guide dogs! That represents a gift to GDS of $2.25 million! Adds Joe Walker, National Manager, Guide Dog Services "You can't plan things like this, really. The fact that Bayley was matched with Dot and that we hit the $1m mark at the same time, well, some things are just meant to be. We are enormously grateful that Bayleys is on our team now, and that they are committed to helping us continue to improve Guide Dog Services."
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Bayley and Dot
Dot Beard and her new guide dog Bayley are a right pair. Bayley was the first pup to be sponsored by Bayleys Realty Group and Dot was one of the first graduates of this country's guide dog training centre - a member of the 'class of '73'.
Bayley is now two years old. He was matched with Dot in June this year and is her fifth guide dog.
"He's a hit wherever he goes," says Dot. "He's just lovely. Still in his teenage years and apt to try me at times but I tell him he's a VID (very important dog), and he has to listen to what I say!" It's a busy life for Bayley, as Dot is an active member of the Foundation in Christchurch and regularly visits both the children's ward at the public hospital and Ronald McDonald House, where parents can stay while their children are receiving medical care.
The successful match, and Bayley's graduation, was formally celebrated at a Bayleys event last month.
Origin Pacific guide dog changes
Community Education Manager, Chris Orr attended a recent meeting with Guide Dog Services and Origin Pacific Airways staff. The meeting was organised to discuss Origin Pacific Airways' policy about "Guide Dogs with Blind Passengers" and specifically the costs associated with blocking a seat for a guide dog.
Chris took the opportunity to inform Origin Pacific about the training the Foundation could provide airline staff so they felt confident handling requirements for blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people who would be traveling with them.
Origin Pacific has subsequently advised that effective from 1 September 2005 all charges for the guide dog accompanying the passenger will no longer apply.
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This change to policy now brings Origin Pacific Airways in line with the other domestic airlines - Air New Zealand, Air New Zealand Link and Qantas.
Vodafone volunteer planting
September saw a spring clean take place in the gardens at Guide Dog Services. Twelve Vodafone staff and five AUT students tackled the weeds to bring three special gardens back to life.
Memorial Grove is a shady cluster of pine trees surrounded by garden. The tree trunks are pinned with wooden memorial plaques to deceased guide dogs. Each plaque gives the date of birth, death and a poem dedicated to that dog. Occasionally memorial services are held under the pines and the ashes of dogs buried there.
The seventeen volunteers were coordinated through a programme called Skills Exchange. Set up in May this year by AUT and Vodafone, the programme matches business organisations who want to make a difference in their community to charities needing support.
Administration Services Manager Sheryl Davis says what a big difference the work has made to the look and feel of the gardens, which are right near the entrance of the centre.
"The Memorial is now a tidy, beautiful, colourful and soothing area where guardians, puppy walkers, staff and owners can come and spend quiet time remembering their companion," says Sheryl.
Guide dog York gets gold card
To become one of Air New Zealand's Gold Elite Card members you have to spend most of the year up in the air, according to Barry Burgess. In the past year Barry and his guide dog York have travelled over 180,000km on 67 flights. That's the equivalent of 4.5 times the circumference of the earth!
In September York joined the official elite club. Yes, York has gone gold, and now has his very own card.
What does it entitle him to? Well, nothing specifically. Because guide dogs travel free on all planes, York is not eligible for air points but as Air New Zealand representative
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Debbie McKeown says, the card recognises York's equal status as a frequent flyer.
"Barry always travels with York," says Debbie. "He gives his time very generously to showing our new staff how to be a sighted guide, and even assisted with developing a training video called Don't Leave Me in the Dark. It's nice to be able to give something back." York has been accompanying Barry on long haul trips for seven years.
"The crew all know him," says Barry. "He's a walking billboard for guide dogs. They greet him by name and bring kids over to meet him on the flight." At age nine, York is coming up for retirement. Barry will shortly be getting a new guide dog. Will the elite card be automatically transferred? "I don't think so," says Barry. "The new dog will have to earn his. He's got some big paws to fill."
Screening passengers with a guide dog
When a passenger arrives at the Screening Point with a guide dog, the Load Officer explains that the Screening process will require an inspection of the harness and handle worn by the dog. It is of the utmost importance to gain the cooperation and understanding of the passenger.
- The Load officer conducts the inspection. This involves the passenger removing items from the dog for the inspection.
- Once the passenger has removed the harness from the dog the officer will inspect the harness. The passenger should be allowed to refit the harness once the inspection is complete.
- Once the inspection has been done, the passenger may proceed with the guide dog (guided by the airline representative) to the magnetometer where they will then be wanded by the Wand Officer.