Still forming a relationship with her new friend, Christina Holtzclaw was a little nervous standing on the sidewalk at the famed Peachtree Street in Atlanta. After all, it’s a chance to take for a person with 20/20 vision, much less someone who is blind. About to cross, she felt her partner step into her path, stopping her immediately. The driver running the red light certainly didn’t witness the milestone, but Christina’s life had just been saved — by her guide dog. “That was when I knew I could trust Anna completely,” Christina said.

Christina is one of at least four blind people living in Rome who need their pet as more than the “I will always love you and am always glad to see you” companion we all know — though they are that, too. She relies on Anna, a golden retriever and black Labrador mix, to be her eyes, to help her live as though she has no disability at all.

Maia Santamaria and her golden retriever Luke, along with Tonia Clayton and Rebound, of the same breed as Luke, joined Christina and Anna to share their stories — their obstacles, their relationships with their animals and some dos and don’ts of approaching a guide dog.

Where it all begins
Future help dogs are picked from litters based on temperament, personality and intelligence, explained Maia, an independent living coordinator at disABILITY LINK NW and chair of the operating committee with the Rome-Floyd Humane Society. The dogs then spend a year living with a family, learning basic commands, behavior and skills. “They may even wear a vest that says ‘puppy in training’ or something similar,” she said. They then spend four to six months in a “guide dog” setting, she continued. They learn commands like “find curb” and “forward,” “left” and “right.” The dogs are evaluated to determine whether they should guide the blind or help those with other disabilities. “The guide dogs are at the top of the hierarchy,” Maia said, adding that the animals are the smartest of the smart.

But one of the biggest differences in a guide dog and other help dogs is his or her “intelligent disobedience,” Maia said, the ability to determine when disobeying a command is safer for the owner — for example, when Anna disobeyed Christina’s command to cross Peachtree Street, saving her from being hit by a car.

There are requirements for the owners as well, the women said. “You must know how to use a white cane,” Christina said, with Maia adding that the white cane is a universal symbol that the person using it is blind.

Love at first lick
Though each woman had her own medical reasons for blindness — Maia forming glaucoma in her teens, Christina being born with glaucoma and Tonia having cataracts — they all agreed that a guide dog was something they needed and wanted. For Christina, also an independent living coordinator for disABILITY LINK, she needed a pal that would flex with her schedule and get along with her six children. She sent in a video showing her independence (with the cane) to Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc. in Palmetto, Fla. Some time later, her black female “goldadore” was brought to Rome. “I just remember thinking ‘I hope I get a guide dog that likes me,’” she said.

Anna helped Christina around the Broad Street area and across Shorter Avenue during the training together phase. But it was that day in Atlanta when Anna really proved her loyalty. “She is always looking out for me,” Christina said of her pooch.

Snow and ice were in the path in Michigan during Tonia’s training with Rebound, who didn’t go through the same routine as most guide dogs. “Rebound was a stray,” said Tonia, president of the Northwest Georgia chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. “And actually stayed in a women’s prison for a while.” Tonia said it took the pair about six months to really bond, but because of Rebound, she was able to get a place of her own. “Just today he stopped for two obstacles,” she added of his assistance.

Maia knew she wanted a larger dog. She filled out a questionnaire and sent in a video to the same spot that Christina went through. “Luke was actually trained in Rome,” Maia said, adding that he had an advantage of knowing the streets and community. She too needed a flexible dog. “I have a very erratic schedule and have lots of dogs and cats at home,” she said. “Some days I will be sitting in the office and other days be out on the field.” But the wait was hard for Maia. “I just couldn’t wait to get him.” And now, she says, she fully trusts him.

Info, dos and don’ts
So what about all that “dogs can’t understand words” talk? The topic makes all three of the women laugh out loud. “Anna knows around 30 commands,” said Christina. “She knows ‘find rail,’ ‘find elevator,’ and I am teaching her to find the buttons in the elevator.” Tonia said Rebound knows many commands as well. “I have even taught him ‘follow dad’ when my dad is with us.”

Maia said many of the service dogs are of the sporting breeds and are calm in temperament, like golden retrievers, black Labradors, German shepherds, collies and poodles. The four-legged guides are always to the left of their owner, with some exceptions, she said. They can also accompany their friends on planes, added Christina. When approaching a blind person and their guide dog, watch for the harness, the women explained. When the person is holding the harness, the dog takes that as “work mode,” they said. When the harness is let down, the dogs can be a bit more lax. “Speak to us first,” said Tonia of people who want to pet the service dogs, “and ask if it’s OK.”

Passers-by must realize that petting distracts the animals from their duties, they said, so keep the affection to a minimum. If you recognize the dog, do not yell his or her name — also a distraction for the companions. And do not grab the harness, the women said. If you would like to become what’s called a “sighted guide” for the person, helping them across the street or down some stairs, just say something first — and stay on their right side. And finally, do not offer food. The animals are on a strict diet, Maia said.

The little office at 411 Broad St., where much of the women’s lives are spent, is the home of disABILITY LINK, a center for independent living that serves 15 counties. The group helps with skills training, peer support, information and referral, resources, advocacy and legislation, support groups and even the transition from a nursing home to living without constant assistance. Classes at the center include computer classes and Braille — and the group helps those with any disabilities. Maia, Tonia and Christina have also started a group called Partners and Service Animals (PASA) of Northwest Georgia. They know of nine guide dogs in the Northwest Georgia area, four in Rome, two in Calhoun, one in Lafayette and one in Cartersville, and created the group as a support system. “Anyone who likes, wants or wants to train a guide dog or needs support in some way, we can help them,” Maia said. One theme seems to show in each relationship of dog and owner — trust.

And one last question… how do they know when they are coming up on an intersection? “I don’t know. They are just trained,” said Maia while trusting Luke to guide her across Fourth Avenue.

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