PLACE WHERE GOING TO THE DOGS MEANS NEW EYESIGHT.Byline: Virginia Gonzalez Daily News Staff Writer John Faitro thought his life was over when he lost his eyesight eye·sight n. 1. The faculty of sight; vision. 2. Range of vision; view. in 1986, but that was before he met up with a golden retriever golden retriever, breed of large sporting dog developed primarily in Scotland in the mid-19th cent. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 60 to 75 lb (27.2–34.1 kg). named Francy. The caramel-colored pooch became Faitro's eyes, allowing him to resume his daily activities. His companion helped renew his self-confidence and zest for life. The pair were among the hundreds who attended an open house Saturday at Guide Dogs of America, a 7-1/2-acre campus in Sylmar where the animals are trained and introduced to their new owners. ``(Francy) has given me the confidence and sense of security to get back into everyday activities, like going to the supermarket, walking down the street and even going back to school to learn a trade,'' said Faitro, 39, of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. . Faitro lost his sight due to diabetes and fell into a deep depression that kept him at home and feeling sorry for himself. Laura Faitro said the guide dog has turned her husband's life around. ``He's not only getting around by himself, he's now our domestic engineer. He cooks, cleans, takes care of the kids and has dinner on the table when I come home from work every day,'' she said. ``I noticed such a change in him. It was like he was his old self again, but also a new, energized person.'' Each guide dog goes through a rigorous training program before being given to a blind person, said Deborah Sands, the public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most manager of the facility. The group breeds the majority of its dogs to ensure quality, preferring Labrador retrievers This list of famous Labradors covers notable individual dogs that belong to this breed. The Labrador retriever is the most popular breed of dog (by registered ownership) in both the United States and the United Kingdom. , German shepherds German shepherd, breed of large, muscular working dog perfected in Germany at the turn of the 20th cent. It stands about 25 in. (64 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 60 to 85 lb (27.2–38.5 kg). and golden retrievers. The pups are placed with volunteers who raise the animals for eight months, teaching them house manners and basic obedience skills. Guide Dogs of America puts the dogs through a more rigorous four- to six-month training program that qualifies them for their new career, Sands said. At the end of the process, the owners live at the facility for a month while they learn to handle their dogs. During Saturday's open house - themed ``Under the Big Top'' - pups went through a humorous yet effective obstacle course obstacle course n. 1. A training course filled with obstacles, such as ditches and walls, that must be negotiated speedily by troops undergoing training or participants in an obstacle race. 2. to determine their progress. Distractions included hot dog morsels hanging from strings, stairways, a noisy shopping cart and even a caged pig, chicken, tortoise tortoise (tôr`təs), common name for a terrestrial turtle, especially one of the family Testudinidae. Tortoises inhabit warm regions of all continents except Australia. and rabbit. By far the loudest distraction was the roar of a Harley Davidson motorcycle that awaited each pup at the end of the course. ``We're (raising a puppy) because we thought it would be a worthwhile volunteer project that our kids could learn a lot from,'' said Shaunla Heckathorn of Van Nuys. The family is raising a German shepherd named Ramah, after the father wolf in Disney's ``The Jungle Book'' movie. Heckathorn, whose family trained a dog before Ramah, said that in addition to helping a worthy cause, every member of the family gets a strong sense of satisfaction in raising the dogs. The Guide Dogs of America's Sylmar facility was started in 1948 by Joseph Jones Sr., a retired member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is an AFL-CIO/CLC trade union representing approx. 646,933 workers as of 2006 in more than 200 industries. . CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1) Dwight, a yellow Labrador, joins Cindee Nelso n of Moreno Valley Moreno Valley (mərē`nō), city (1990 pop. 118,779), Riverside co., S Calif., inc. 1984. In 1990, Moreno Valley was California's fastest-growing city, with a population increase of more than 300% between 1980 and 1990, but major reductions on a test walk, resisting dangling hot dog bits. (2) Ben, a yellow Lab belonging to Phillip Hughes, poses for a picture at the 7-1/2-acre Guide Dogs of America campus in Sylmar. (3) Sandi Ross of Hesperia pets Fame before trying the obstacle course. David Sprague/Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion