Tales of kindness and contempt

By Louise Kinross

How do you think you’d be treated if you were out and about in the city and blind?

Recently I read media stories about two blind men and their commutes by subway and train in major cities.

And they couldn't be more different.

Amit Patel (photo below), a former doctor who lives in London, describes travelers who hit his guide dog Kika with umbrellas or bags, barge into Amit and complain that the pair is holding them up. He says station employees ignore him when he needs help. His dog Kika now wears a Go-Pro camera to track the public’s reactions. “Losing my sight is very lonely,” he says in this Daily Mail piece. “If I’m traveling by public transport I’m sometimes like a scared little boy sat in the corner.”

Blair Wong (photo above) is an optician who travels into Boston each day with his white cane. “I bring out the best in Bostonians,” he says in this Kind World story. “I have met so many different people simply because I have a cane. It’s probably hundreds, but to me it feels like thousands.”

The story includes photos of some of “regulars” who walk with Blair or sit with him to chat on the train. A few have even become good friends.

I wondered why people would have such different reactions to a disability. We know people make snap judgments about others that are often based on false information. How might people's assumptions be different when they see Amit as opposed to Blair?

The only thing I could come up with is that carrying a cane conveys a clear message that someone is blind. Perhaps people who see Amit don’t immediately understand that his service dog acts as his eyes. Maybe he doesn’t appear “blind”  to them.

Or perhaps, when they see a service dog, they imagine that the owner doesn’t want an offer of help? There are a number of disabled advocates on social media who write about how it annoys them when people constantly offer help.

This doesn't, of course, explain the rude comments and “tutting” Amit hears around him, or the people who hit his dog with bags and umbrellas when she’s doing her job sitting beside him on the escalator. Kika has even been kicked.

Is it possible that Boston is a more humane place than London? What do our readers think?

The top photo of Blair Wong is reprinted from Kind World. The bottom photo of Amit Patel is reprinted from the Daily Mail. Amit's wife Seema posts Go-Pro video of her husband's adventures on Twitter @Kika_GuideDog.

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How one family's dream of a service dog came true

By Kara Melissa Sharp

I knew Sebastian needed a dog when he was two. He was recovering from pneumonia in hospital, and we hadn’t seen him smile in a week. Then the hospital therapy dog arrived and he beamed.

Four years later I applied for a service dog for Sebastian, only to be heartbroken when he was turned down.

I’d spent months on the 15-page application for a dog trained in seizure assistance. But five minutes after the charity received my package, I got an e-mail saying Sebastian didn’t qualify. Because Sebastian is dependent on others for everyday tasks, they said he was incapable of bonding with a dog.

I was appalled. How could they be so dismissive? Without even meeting Sebastian, or our family, they’d made a decision based on paperwork. Sebastian had already developed a great relationship with a therapy dog at his preschool, so I knew he could bond with a dog of his own. And he wanted one. He’d started to tell his teacher and classmates at senior kindergarten that he had a dog at home because he wished it so much.

I didn't give up and extended my search to organizations throughout North America. I spoke to a few groups that have families fundraise to cover the cost of the dog and training. But the family also needs to cover travel costs for the trainer. Training alone can cost up to $30,000.

There were also organizations like the first charity we tried, where you apply and, if accepted, are put on a two-year wait list. Unfortunately, we didn’t qualify based on our location. I wasn’t sure what to do. I spoke to everyone—even my hairstylist!—to brainstorm ways to get a dog and cover the training.

Our search led us to a woman named Sherry at Swissridge Kennels. Each year she donates a dog to a family in need and organizes a fundraiser to help pay for the dog's training. Sherry breeds Goldendoodle and Berndoodle puppies. I sent her a letter introducing ourselves and asked about that year’s fundraiser. I learned we were in the running! After a few emails back and forth, Sherry came for a visit. She even brought a few dogs to meet Sebastian. It was an exciting day for the whole family! After our meeting, Sherry decided that Sebastian would be a good fit for one of her puppies.

Sherry wanted to wait until the litters would be born in the spring to choose the right puppy for Sebastian. It was a long winter! When we returned from our trip to Australia in May, Sherry had a visit planned to bring along one of the other women who helps with the Swissridge Doodle Romp charity, Karley. To our great surprise, when we opened the door we were greeted by Sherry, Karley and a new Goldendoodle puppy!

Sebastian and this puppy immediately bonded. We were over the moon. There would still be a long wait with training ahead but Sebastian had a service dog! Over the next two weeks we went through every name we could think of before Sebastian chose Ewok.

Ewoks are a race of Star Wars' creatures who look like furry teddy bears and have their own language. I used to call Sebastian my little Ewok when he was a baby because of the sounds that he makes (since he doesn't use words like we do). I showed him a video of an Ewok and asked if he thought the puppy looked like it, and whether it would be a good name. He said yes!

Ewok currently lives with a family to do his imprint training, which is the basic house training, obedience and socialization stuff. He’s started to work with the trainer and soon will live with him full-time for more intensive training to become a therapy and seizure alert dog. Once Ewok is ready, we’ll join in the training sessions twice a week. Then Ewok will come home with us, but we’ll continue to go back to Swissridge for training as needed.

How does all of this get paid for? Through Sherry’s generosity and the community she has created with other Swissridge dog owners, all of the funds have been raised to pay for Ewok’s training. In August we attended the Swissridge Doodle Romp, a reunion of sorts for other familes that have Swissridge dogs. While people drive from all over to meet and connect with other familes and their Swissridge dogs, they also come to donate. And donate they did.

This year the Doodle Romp raised over $25,000. We will not need to personally fundraise or contribute financially to Ewok’s care and training. We are so thankful to have been welcomed into this caring community. While at the romp several photos were taken and one now hangs on Sebastian’s wall while he waits for Ewok to come home.

We’ve talked a lot with Sebastian and his sister, Tallula, about what having a service dog means. We have talked about how Ewok will be Sebastian’s dog. He will sleep in his room. He will go for walks with Sebastian and Sebastian will be in charge of feeding him and giving him water, with our help. We are even programming commands for Sebastian to say to Ewok using his eye gaze with the goal that the trainer will use clips to help Ewok become familiar with Sebastian’s "voice."

We hope that Ewok will help break social barriers while we’re out. We also look forward to Sebastian feeling a bit of independence as it will be his job to care for Ewok. Most Toronto parks are not inviting to kids using wheelchairs. As Sebastian gets bigger it is more difficult for him to be carried up and down the slides and sometimes even the inclusive swings are broken from misuse. Soon Sebastian will have an alternative. He can take Ewok to the dog park!

I grew up with dogs in our home. When I was 11, I even had the opportunity to choose and care for my own dog. Having a dog certainly adds responsibility and creates a life change. But for our family, for Sebastian, I can only see that as positive. Sebastian’s whole face lights up when we talk about Ewok. He loves telling friends and people he meets about his dog. We get video and photo updates every couple of weeks from the family he’s living with, and they’re often the highlight of Sebastian’s week. Sebastian asks questions to learn more about Ewok and what he’s learning, too.

Ewok will be trained to walk alongside Sebastian. He will nudge Sebastian’s head up when Sebastian is tired and his head control wavers. We hope he will be able to notify us if Sebastian is having a seizure during the night or otherwise needs us. He will provide Sebastian a companionship that he will find nowhere else. He will also provide Sebastian a sense of responsibility and independence. Having a dog will help others see that Sebastian is a kid—a kid who loves a dog and loves life.

We don’t have a home date for Ewok because his trainer wants to make sure Ewok is ready for us and we’re ready for him. But he's already part of the family.

Follow Kara at Free as Trees.

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Canine companions

A PBS documentary called "Through a Dog's Eyes" airs Wed. April 21 at 8 p.m. ET (check local listings). The documentary shows how five children and adults meet their service dogs and begin new lives together. The documentary was based on a book of the same title by Jennifer Arnold, expected out in September.

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‘This is Poppy. She’s my autism service dog’

Three weeks ago Jennifer Cluff and her family welcomed Poppy, a five-month-old yellow lab, into their home. The Cluffs are fostering Poppy for an organization called Autism Dog Services. Jennifer hopes that when Poppy’s close to two years, she’ll be ready to become a service dog for her son Connor, 5, who has Asperger syndrome.

I interviewed Jennifer, who lives in London, Ont., to find out about Poppy’s role.

Me: Tell us a bit about Connor.

Jennifer Cluff: He’s incredibly funny and incredibly smart, a really caring person who’s friendly and likes to be around others. He’s typical of kids with Asperger in that he has his little obsessions. He loves lego characters – especially batman – and he’ll role play things he’s seen in lego video games and then take that play into his own world where he becomes the characters. So he’s batman, I’m bat girl and the dogs are bat dogs.

Me: What are the challenges related to Asperger syndrome that you hope Poppy will address?

Jennifer Cluff: Connor has absolutely zero concept of dangerous situations. He might get so focused on something that catches his eye that he’ll run across the street in front of traffic, or bolt in a parking lot or in the mall. No matter how many times I talk to him about not talking to strangers, he doesn’t understand stranger danger the way other kids his age do. He has trouble understanding social cues and facial expressions and finds transitions stressful. If he’s working on something and the teacher says “it’s time to go to gym,” he’s going to have a melt-down if he hasn’t finished what he’s working on.

Me: How will having a service dog help?

Jennifer Cluff: Safety is a big thing. Poppy wears a vest with a belt that goes around Connor’s waist so he’s tethered to her and he also holds onto the handle on her vest. I walk behind and have the leash. If Connor was to bolt, I would give Poppy the command to stay and anchor him. The nice thing is that it gives the child a sense of independence because instead of holding their parent’s hand, they’re holding the dog.

Me: What about some of the social benefits of a service dog?

Jennifer Cluff: One of my biggest fears is bullying at school. I think the dog will bring positive attention to Connor and give him an opportunity to talk about something he enjoys. Service dogs can have a calming influence so I hope Poppy will help Connor with transitions. They can also be trained to interrupt repetitive behaviours – pawing at the child and helping them to stop. The bond that develops between kids and service dogs is unbelievable and we think that’s another huge benefit.

Me: What changes have you seen in Connor since Poppy arrived?

Jennifer Cluff: He will actually seek Poppy out to play with and go and get a toy for her. He loves to talk to people about his dog and will say “This is Poppy. She’s my autism dog. We’re fostering her.”

Me: What is involved in fostering a service dog?

Jennifer Cluff: We make a commitment to care for the dog for 12 to 18 months, to socialize the dog and teach her basic obedience. Every two weeks we go to a class with the trainer. At about 12 to 15 months, the trainer will recall her for four to five months of intensive training. During that time, the trainer spends a lot of time working with the family and child.

Me: Once Poppy is fully trained, how would she work with Connor during the day?

Jennifer Cluff: She’ll go to school with him for the full day. The trainer will do presentations at the school so everyone understands her role and that when she’s wearing her vest, she’s not to be patted. We’ve already taken her to Connor’s karate class and it’s amazing how well the other kids accept and understand that the dog is working. When Connor comes home, Poppy will be more of a companion, although she’ll still be an extra set of eyes and hands for me, and will go with us when we go out anywhere.

Me: Are the schools receptive to service dogs?

Jennifer Cluff: I think there’s an initial fear of the unknown, and concern that this dog will disrupt the classroom. But other families tell me that once teachers see the dog in the school, trained, they realize the benefits.

Me: What does it cost to purchase a service dog?

Jennifer Cluff: It depends on the organization you work with. For us it’s about $18,000. Some local charities, such as President’s Choice Children’s Charity, have been very supportive to families, and in some cases have fully funded service dogs. As a family we are also running some small fundraisers and have a website.

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