When
I was a little girl, I was on an outing with my mother
and we saw a very dignified blind man with his German
Shepherd guide dog. I tugged at my mother’s shirt
and said to her, “Mommy, I wish I was blind so I could
have a German Shepherd!” Be careful what you wish
for…
While in
high school, I began to lose my eyesight. It has
been a slow process: giving me time to reflect over all
the things that I will miss when the pinhole I currently
see through finally dissolves. I am losing my
vision to Retinitis Pigmentosa. I now realize just how much the German
Shepherd meant to the man I saw as a child. The dog
gave him his independence and added to his dignity.
In 2004, I was
introduced to a working guide dog team, and although I
have considerable experience raising, showing and
training German Shepherds, I had not yet realized the
independence and assistance a guide dog could provide
for me personally. A brief demonstration was all
it took for me to realize that I wanted to travel with a
canine partner. However, I had just given birth to
my brand new baby daughter and was unable to leave home
for the four weeks required by most traditional guide
dog training facilities. With the help of other
visually impaired guide dog users, I began teaching my
three-year-old German Shepherd, Admiral, how to perform
basic guide dog tasks such as avoiding obstacles and
stopping for changes in elevation. I used my
skills as a trainer and my innate talent with dogs to
continue Admiral’s guide dog training. Thank
goodness Admiral is a fast learner - I appreciate the
independence he has given back to me.
Exhilarated by
my own success with Admiral, I developed a dream of
bringing the same gift of independence and confidence to
other visually impaired individuals. I reason
there must be other low-vision or blind persons in our
geographic area that, for a variety of legitimate
circumstances, cannot attend traditional, out-of-home
training programs. Family obligations,
professional commitments and secondary health conditions
should not deprive someone of the opportunity to work
with a guide dog. Thus, the concept of the
OccuPaws Guide Dog Association was born with our motto
“Harnessing Independence Through Teamwork.”
-
Nicole Meadowcroft
After
much hope, many prayers and the grace of the good Lord,
certified guide dog instructor, Doug Weil, joined the
OccuPaws' family and successfully trained and placed
OccuPaws' first guide dog team in December of 2006 -
Nicole and her Guide Dog Dale. Miracle dog, Dale,
a black Labrador Retriever, was donated to the program
by Ann Garmon of Anthem Labradors in Harvard, IL.
Doug and Ann have made significant contributions to the
development and success of the OccuPaws' program.
They gave us a chance, and because of their compassion
and dedication for changing lives, OccuPaws has
grown into a valuable asset to Wisconsin's blind and
visually impaired community.
Nicole and Dale are now a
seasoned, working team and they continue to be
ambassadors for the OccuPaws' in community training
program.
