Service Dog Valentine

From the Boston Globe

At Perkins, applause for stamps honoring service dogs
By Cindy Cantrell bar Globe Correspondent February 09, 2012
Suzanne Kreiterst Globe Staff
Anne DeFeo, 73, with "the love of my life," her guide dog, Viv.
"She's the love of my life, and she loves me. We're joined at
the hip," DeFeo said of her 4 1/2-year-old yellow Labrador
retriever, Viv.
On Valentine's Day, DeFeo and Viv will participate with other
guide dogs and their owners in a ceremony at Perkins honoring the
US Postal Service for its new 65-cent "Dogs at Work" series of
stamps. The series depicts a guide dog, therapy dog, military
tracking dog, and search-and-rescue dog, and celebrates the
"enduring partnership between dogs and people." Designed by
Postal Service art director Howard E. Paine, the four stamps
feature original paintings by John M. Thompson, an illustration
professor at Syracuse University.
Television newscaster Randy Price will emcee the 1:30 p.m.
ceremony Tuesday in the historic Howe Building on the Perkins
campus, 175 North Beacon St.
The event will include speakers on the importance of guide and
service dogs in their lives, and a presentation by Perkins Elder
Book Club members on "Thunder Dog," a true story recounted by
Michael Hingson about a guide dog's heroics on Sept. 11, 2001.
There will be gift bags of dog biscuits made by Perkins students,
and the presentation of a plaque to Boston's postmaster, James
Holland, in honor of the Postal Service's longtime commitment to
the blind and visually impaired.
DeFeo will be there as a person with first-hand knowledge of
the bond between guide dogs and their owners.
"She's meant a whole new life of independence for me," said
DeFeo, describing the confidence she feels from Vivbs presence,
guiding her almost imperceptibly.
"I'm a people person, and now I'm never alone. My pal is
always right by my side. She's just the best."
Watertown resident Kim Charlson, director of the Braille and
Talking Book Library at Perkins, coordinated the event after
learning about the stamps. Through the Postal Service's free
delivery of reading material and sound recordings for the blind,
the library serves 25,000 people across Massachusetts who cannot
read ordinary printed material due to visual impairment, reading
disability, or physical disability.
"We wouldn't be able to do what we do without the post office,"
said Charlson, who will attend the event with her 3 1/2-year-old
guide dog, Dolly, a 44-pound German shepherd who accompanies her
to conferences nationwide.
Charlson said she estimates that there are 100,000 residents
who would qualify to use the library's free services and
materials such as large print, Braille, and digital audio books
and magazines, but aren't aware of its existence.
"Events like this help get the word outbb that the library is
here and we can help," she added. "So many borrowers say they
don't know what they'd do without access to books and reading.
It makes such a difference to their quality of life."
Canton resident Dave Lynn, the Blinded Veterans Association
representative to the Braille and Talking Book Library, will be
accompanied Tuesday by his 6-year-old guide dog, Blazer, a red
Doberman pinscher.
Lynn, whose degenerative retinitis pigmentosa forced him to
medically retire from his 14-year Air Force career in 2003, will
share the steps involved in being matched in need and personality
with a service animal, and how Blazer has improved his life.
While he previously used a white cane to navigate public
transportation, Lynn said, Blazer helps him find doors,
escalators, and elevators more quickly.
At times, however, Blazer has become too smart for his own
good, Lynn said. He emphasizes the importance of dog handling
and directional skills, particularly when long-practiced routes
suddenly change -- such as when he gets a new class schedule at
the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he is majoring in
history.
"Blazer gives me the ability to navigate the world much more
efficiently," said Lynn, who describes the 94-pound canine as a
"terrific" guide dog, but also "the biggest goof on the planet"
who resumes his fun-loving, attention-seeking ways the second
that his harness is removed.
In addition to posting a sign on the harness alerting strangers
that Blazer is working, Lynn said, he looks for opportunities to
educate the public that guide dogs are service animals, not pets.
As such, he is serious about his responsibility of properly
controlling his dog in public places. In return, he wishes
people would ask before petting Blazer -- a distraction that can
be compared to pulling on a driver's steering wheel.
"I understand people like dogs, but it's so nice when I walk
into a place and they don't acknowledge the dog is there," he
said. "They treat me like everybody else, which is what should
happen."
Brighton resident Carl Richardson, president of Guide Dog Users
of Massachusetts, will speak about "these amazing dogs who
dedicate their entire lives to uea"b and the assistance they
provide for a wide range of disabilities: safely navigating
around obstacles, retrieving items, helping with balance,
alerting people to everything from a ringing doorbell to an
oncoming seizure.
Richardson, who is visually impaired and hard of hearing,
emphasizes that the use of a service dog versus a white cane is
strictly a personal choice. And while he agrees that people
should ask permission before approaching guide dogs, he credits
his first guide dog, Kiva, with helping to court his wife, Megan
Sullivan, a Boston University associate professor.
Richardson credits his current guide dog, Kinley, a 7
1/2-year-old black Lab, with reducing his reliance on his wife,
and providing an extra set of eyes and ears throughout his daily
commute on the bus and subway.
"She doesn't have to worry about me because that's Kinleybs
job," said Richardson, who is the Americans with Disabilities Act
coordinator at the State House.
Richardson said he is fortunate to still have Kiva, a
14-year-old yellow Lab whom he retired as his service dog due to
her arthritis at age 9. Because 70 percent of the blind
community are unemployed, he said, many guide-dog owners can't
afford to care for multiple animals.
"I'm so glad the US Postal Service is honoring these
magnificent dogs, because I can't imagine my life without one,"
he added. "I also hope the stamps bring more recognition and
awareness so when we bring our dogs into public places, people
know it's not a big deal."