Yesterday was also an important day both in Alberta and across Canada. It was the date for the annual fundraiser for Dog Guides of Canada. Our local Lions Chapter has been supporting the walk for a number of years and this year even surpassed the amount raised in 2022.
Of course, the local Lions supported the walk but also several members of our vision loss support group participated in the walk. For me, the best part was meeting Jaslyn and her service dog, Stanley. Stanley was a beautiful black lab. After the walk and barbecue supplied by the Lions, Jaslyn and Stanley demonstrated some of the useful things that Stanley could do to make life easier for Jaslyn. He could pick up things dropped on the ground, pull open or push closed doors. He could bring his leash and recognize his name, Jaslyn’s name and the names of a couple of other family members. He knew to bark loudly if Jaslyn only whispered the word “Help”.
Jaslyn and her mom also spoke of the Oakville Training Centre where they first met Stanley. It had been a long wait since the initial application for a dog guide and COVID didn’t help. However, when young girl and young dog finally met, it was a good match.
While dog guides are free to Canadians with varying disabilities, the cost of breeding and training a dog and potential owner is about $35,000. Dogs can be guides in seven different areas – sight disability, hearing loss, seizure response, diabetes alert, autism assistance, service dog and facility support.
What a worthwhile cause. I have already marked the date for the 2024 walk in my planner. It’s May 26 and I encourage everyone to think about supporting the program in whatever way you are able.
In the picture below I am standing with my two friends, Shirley and Irma. The bridge where we are standing was at the beginning of our walk for dog guides.
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| Irma, Shirley, and Sue |
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