Becky has other siblings who also made it successfully as guide dogs. When a litter is born they all have a name that starts with the same letter in the alphabet. For example, her sister Bonnie is now working as a guide dog in Hawaii. She has a brother named Bernard who is a guide dog in New Zealand, in a town called Rotorua. Another sister named Barbara did not make the cut, and is now living as a "career change" with a family. Brenna is doing a job, but not exactly as a guide dog. She lives with a woman who works at the Foundation for the Blind, and does a lot of PR.
The Golden retriever / Border collie cross is a very smart breed. Becky was the first of this mix I have personally ever trained, and I found her to be one of the quickest learners I have ever worked with. I have been working with guide dogs for 7 years, and she has been one of my favorite dogs to train. A great destination dog and very willing. I would have to say that the working drive of the Border collie and the willing nature of the golden makes this mix ideal for a guide dog. I have also not seen any predatory issues, which is a common question from people familiar with border collies.
Becky lived with her puppy walkers from the age of 7 weeks until about 15 months. Her puppy walkers were a retired couple who lived in an Auckland suburb. She was the first puppy they raised for guide dogs, and they loved her!
Then Becky came to live with me full time for about 5 months, which is the average time to fully train a guide dog. During that time she was basically a member of my family. She came everywhere with me in the training van while I performed other work responsibilities, in addition to having at least one training walk per day, M-F. After I trained her, and she proved herself reliable by working for me while I was under blindfold successfully, she was then able to be matched with a blind person.
I taught her how cross streets straight, avoid running me into obstacles, ignore other dogs and people who want to pet her while she is working, ignore food distractions, stop at curbs, remain calm in shops.....a big job for her, as it is for all guide dogs.
I matched her with an elderly woman who remains very active, but needed a sensitive dog. I trained Becky with Clarice, and they have been together now since the end of October 2002. Things are going well for this team and Becky has settled in well to her new home. This is Clarice's second guide dog.
In Becky's spare time she loves to go swimming, play with other dogs, chew on sticks, LOVES to eat watermelon and enjoys being groomed. Her favorite toys are the types that squeak, although it is hard to find one that can remain in tact with the squeaker! She is an affectionate dog and always wants to have physical contact. A great companion and an overall laid back personality.
Stephanie Sherwood
www.rnzfb.org.nz
< Back to 'our friends'
|
