THE WORLD OF ANIMALS IN THE 21st CENTURY
Dogs That Help the Blind See
By Reni Shulman
Owning a dog can be recreational like any sport or hobby. Sure, it requires time and effort, as the owner must groom and feed his dog, but the reward is the tremendous amusement and satisfaction that the owner gets from playing fetch and teaching his canine to play dead. For Joe DiNero, however, ownership of a dog is a much more serious venture. In 1994, at twenty-five years old, DiNero was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary disease that causes retinal degeneration and loss of vision. More than ten years later he decided to enhance his lifestyle with aid from a guide dog. “As good as you are with a white cane,” explained DiNero, “there’s an increased level of confidence that you can only get from a guide dog.”
DiNero, a New York resident, joined Guide Dogs for the Blind, a non-profit organization, with campuses in California and Oregon, that trains guide dogs to work with the visually impaired to both physically and psychologically improve their lives. Students enroll at no cost and receive air transportation, room and board, training, veterinary care, and after-care support services. The canines at Guide Dogs for the Blind receive four to five months of formal training, followed by four weeks of training with their blind partners. During this intense four week program, students rise at 6 a.m. to begin the demanding schedule of lectures, obedience courses, and real-life situations in downtown areas. “It was doggy boot camp,” DiNero pointed out. “All of your senses are pushed to their limits in training school; it was frustrating.” DiNero recalled “Traffic-check Day,” when students are placed in controlled traffic situations “where they essentially try to hit you. A car in the parking lot went right at us, and he jumped in front of me and pulled me out of the way. That day put all of the frustration into perspective.”
DiNero has been with his yellow Labrador retriever, Garner, for three years. “Within two or three weeks of meeting we had a connection,” he explained. “We’re a real team, and Garner has become part of our family.” DiNero’s wife and three children love to interact with Garner, though DiNero is solely responsible for his care, which includes feeding, grooming, and veterinary attention. The pair flawlessly navigates the Suffolk Community College campus, where DiNero is a Computer Science and Mathematics major. “He’s more popular on campus than I am; he’ll wear the cap and gown at graduation,” declared a jocular DiNero. In the meantime, the two take life one day at a time. “Because my disease is degenerative, there is a constant relearning and adaptation. It scares me that I can’t see my eleven-month-old the way I saw my other two girls, but I keep going and stay positive.”
Approximately 50,000 people become blind each year in the United States. Guide Dogs for the Blind works to enhance the quality of life and ability to function for this growing population. In sixty-five years of establishment, Guide Dogs for the Blind (www.guidedogs.com) has graduated over 11,000 dog partnerships. It relies heavily on volunteers for both training on campus and raising puppies off campus. The organization and its dedicated staff truly provide their students with the drive and confidence to be active members of society. A sanguine and enthusiastic DiNero remarked, “I will always find a way to make things happen.”#
