Blind Woman to Graduate as a Certified Family Dog Trainer, American Foundation for Animal Rescue, Inc.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 3, 2001

Janice Oliveira is 21 years old and a top third year undergraduate student in animal science at Cornell University. Due to retinal cancer, she has been blind since the age of 2.

On August 10, Janice will graduate as a Canine Behavior Counselor (CBC) from a 200-hour seminar/internship program in canine behavior, a joint program offered by the American Foundation for Animal Rescue's Animal Behavior Center of New York (ABCNY) in Queens, New York City; the American Institute for Animal Science, an online animal and environmental sciences private school in West Des Moines, IA; and the Association of Companion Animal Behavior Counselors, a professional membership organization for family dog behavior specialists.

Each morning Janice arrives at ABCNY by car service from her hotel in Flushing Queens with her guide dog Pavarotti. Her 8-hour day begins with three hours of lecture in animal learning, ethology, psychobiology, history of the species, and assessment, diagnosis and treatment of dog behavior problems. After lunch, she attends workshops and clinics where she learns to train dogs in basic and advanced obedience, teach group and private lessons and design treatment programs for dogs with behavior problems, such as fear, aggression, dominance, and anxiety disorders.

Janice works with touch and auditory stimuli, and a form of "sensing" that is sometimes difficult to explain. "She is one of the most amazing student interns I have ever worked with," explains Nancy Merrell, MA, CBCT, a certified canine behavior counselor and director of the seminar program at ABCNY. "She is smart, she has tenacity, and she can teach classes and handle a dog as well as any other student. I am really proud of her accomplishments here thus far. She will serve as a great motivator for others with disabilities that have a love for animals and a desire to work with them."

Janice has always had a love for animals. She is a volunteer at the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smithtown, NY, where she serves as a dog groomer and puppy socializer. She is active in Cornell Companions, a pet visitation program at the university where she and Pavarotti visit nursing homes to spread some puppy love. She is an avid horseback rider and bird "listener." As a member of the Audubon Society; she can identify over 100 birds by sound.

And what are her plans for the future? To complete her undergraduate degree, begin graduate school to further study animal science, and do family counseling in private practice, for dog, cat and maybe horse behavior. How can a blind person train dogs and teach others to do so? If you saw Janice in action, you'd be pleasantly surprised.

For further information please contact: Robert DeFranco 917/676-5750 or email: [e-mail]