 Service Dogs: Visually Impaired
Working
Like Dogs: The Service Dog Guidebook (2007)
Written by Marcie Davis and Melissa Bunnell, this an absolutely FABULOUS
addition to the service dog literature. The authors define it as an A to Z
resource book, and it certainly lives up to the promise. Honestly, we have not
seen another book like it and can say from all the questions that come our way,
that is is desperately needed. We are hoping that it does fill a void out there
for the many people who are interested in obtaining a service dog. It is truly a
must-read for … anyone considering a service dog; a person who has a service
dog; a person who is responsible for the care of a service dog; or, anyone who
wants to learn more about the service dog partnership.
Great resource listings included the following:
50+ Service Dog Commands; Important Questions to Ask a Potential
Service Dog Agency; Basic Service Dog Travel Tips; Planning for Separation; The
Veterinarian’s Service Dog Checklist; Safety Tips; Service Dog Emergency Kit;
Service Dog First Aid Kit; Important Questions about your Service Dog’s
Retirement; Strategies for An Impending Retirement; The Euthanasia Plan;
Questions to Ask When Considering Euthanasia / Process of Euthanasia; Creative
Healing (18 creative activities); and, Explaining Loss to Others.
Partners
in Independence: A Success Story of Dogs and the Disabled
This book was written by Ed & Toni Eames
and revised in 2004. It is a wonderful book that gives a unique view of blind, deaf and
physically disabled persons and the remarkable dogs that make it possible for them to be
more involved in the world around them. Not only do these marvelous canine partners
provide greater independence, they improve the quality of life for their adoring human
companions. Partly autobiographical, partly
journalistic, it related the experiences of the authors as they take an advocacy role for
the needs and rights of the disabled, esp. those who use specially-trained dogs as eyes,
ears or assistants.
Clicker
Train your own Assistance Dog DVD/CD SET
This set was produced by Barbara Handelman in 2004. These DVDs empower people with
disabilities to train their own dogs basic skills like targeting as well as more advanced
skills such as retrieving, scent discrimination, and assisting with tasks of daily living.
Clear instructions on the training of various skills are relevant to animal assisted
therapy handlers as well as assistance dog handlers. The series is invaluable for people
with disabilities seeking to train their pet dog or an assistance dog, and is equally
important for the professional pet dog trainer who would like to more effectively work
with clients with disabilities. Includes the following:
1) Ready Aim Touch: Basic Target Training and Advanced Applications (approx 45 min) How to
train nose targeting and foot targeting behaviors. Using targeting to work with light
switches, drawers and cabinet doors, and handicapped access doors. 2) You Want Me To Do
What?!? (approx. 45 min) Teaching position changes including: backing, turning in place,
moving under, around and behind. Helping with tasks of daily living such as taking off
socks and jackets, brace and fall prevention and recovery from falls. 3) A Tale of Two
Skills: The Marriage of Target and Retrieve: (approx 45 min) All phases of training the
basic retrieve PLUS: Demonstrations of Sue Ailsby’s “Two Grab Method;”
Proofing the “HOLD” with Debi Davis. Scent Discrimination using Kay
Laurence’s Methods. Using Scent Searching to find keys, phones and other personal
items. 4) Part 1: Of Dogs, Doors and Self Control (approx 25 min) Opening and closing
interior and exterior doors, loading and unloading from vans and cars; Teaching
self-control techniques. Line Farr’s method of training: “Wait at
Doorways”. Part 2: Preview of the DVD Series: Temperament Assessments With Dee
Ganley, CPDT, CABC/CDBC (approx 30 min) Evaluating temperament when selecting Assistance
Dog and Therapy Dog Candidates. Demonstrations and discussion of temperament assessments
with puppies and older dogs.
Legal Rights of Guide Dogs,
Hearing Dogs and Service Dogs, 8th Edition
By Michael Roche. New 8th Edition! A guide and reference to the legal rights, by state, of
people with disabilities who use assistance dogs, and for trainers of assistance dogs.
Lists state statutes and Federal regulations regarding assistance dogs.
Through Otis'
Eyes: A Lesson Learned from a Guide Dog Puppy
This book was written by Patricia Burlin
Kennedy, illustrated by Robert Christie and published by the Howell Book House in December
1997. This book lets you share in Otis' first 18 months. It is filled with insight about
some of the traits dogs have and humans have long tried to copy, such as faithfulness and
forgiveness. This book, with its beautiful illustrations, will let you experience the joys
and frustrations of raising a puppy destined to lead another person toward a more
fulfilling life.
Planet of the
Blind (1998)
Stephen Kuusisto's memoir is the world of a one-eyed man is a kingdom of confusion and
quixotic struggle. Born with only residual vision, one eye capable of 20/200 vision and
the other unseeing, Kuusisto was led by the insistence of his mother and the ignorance of
the society around him to an elaborate and harrowing attempt to appear sighted. At times
the effort was life-threatening, as with the bicycle he rode from the ages of 10 to 30
("Were my years of cycling an actuarial gift?" he wonders), and at other times
profoundly humiliating, as when his stumbling and collisions are assumed to be signs of
habitual drunkenness. Kuusisto's story is of a lifelong struggle that leads to acceptance.
For this gifted poet, the barely glimpsed visual world is an irresistible temptation,
despite pain, embarrassment, and failure. When he finally submits to the white cane and a
guide dog, suddenly he can envision a "Planet of the Blind," a place where those
without sight live in peace with their own lives, where "everyone is free to touch
faces, paintings, gardens," a place where beauty is behind the eye of the beholder.
The Two-In-One:
Walking With Smokie, Walking With Blindness (1998)
Rod Michalko, a sociologist, has written an insightful memoir of how, with the aid of his
guide dog, Smokie, he came to fully inhabit his blindness. Although medically diagnosed as
blind when he was a child, Michalko writes that, "from the point of view of my
experience, I was not." When he lost the rest of his sight as an adult, he writes, he
had to transform not only how he did things but also how he viewed himself. As he explores
his experience of blindness, Michalko recalls how, for years, he fought against the fact
of his poor sight and questions his previous assumptions about his own mobility and the
trials of everyday life. He found that his confidence grew with a well-trained dog at his
side. "Getting me safely where I want to go is what Smokie has done for me, and this
is important. But even more important, Smokie has re-introduced me to my blindness."
Michalko presents himself on many levels: the scientist considering the meanings of social
behavior toward disability; the attentive pet-caretaker describing guide dog training and
funny incidents that occur during his walks with Smokie; and finally, a down-to-earth
intellectual who begins to forget, after decades of near-sightlessness, that he has a
disability. He writes movingly about how, through his relationship with Smokie, he came to
view blindness not just as a lack of sight but as something in itself, a condition with
its own properties. In so doing, he invites us to rethink the very nature of disability.
Long Time, No
See (2003)
Beth Finke chronicles the progress of the juvenile diabetes that left her blind at the age
of twenty-six as well as the seemingly endless spiral of adversity that followed. First
she was forced out of her professional job. Then she bore a multiply handicapped son. But
she kept moving forward, confronting marital and financial problems and persevering
through a rocky training period with a seeing-eye dog. Finke's life story and her
commanding knowledge of her situation give readers a clear understanding of diabetes,
blindness, and the issues faced by parents of children with significant disabilities.
Because she has taken care to include accurate medical information as well as personal
memoir, the book also serves as an excellent resource for others in similar situations and
for professionals who deal with disabled adults or children.
Venture's Story: Life & Times of a Guide Dog (1997)
Written by Diana Dawne, this book tells about the life and times of Venture, a
guide dog with 12 doctoral degrees. Learn from Venture's perspective about his
formal training and the special challenges faced by a dog who must be the eyes
for a blind person. Shares personal experiences between Dawne and Venture
including their first airplane ride and the time Venture almost got his owner
arrested. Guide dog Venture breaks the Golden Code of Silence and brings to
light the magical bond that develops between a scientifically bred, well-trained
guide dog and a woman who really loves to push life's envelope to the limits.
The author tells her dog's story through his own eyes.
Rescue
Pup (2005)
Written by Jean Little for ages 9-12. Shakespeare Is A Seeing Eye puppy. But
before the time comes for him to train with a blind person, he must spend six
months with a girl who has never learned to love. He does all he can to teach
her, but the job places him in some dangerous situations, and by the end of the
story he has earned the title Rescue Pup.
Guide Dogs: Seeing for People Who Can't (1999)
Written by Alice B. McGinty for ages 4-8. Kids love to read about animals,
especially phenomenal dogs. This series profiles six professions that dogs
occupy. Your students will learn about the training, patience, and intelligence
required for a courageous canine to take on the job of guide, police dog,
sheepherder and more!
Two Puppies:
Being the Authentic Story of Two Very Different Young Dogs, One who is Virtuous and Goes
On to a Life of Service, The Other Born to be Naughty (1998)
Written by Jane and Michael Stern. This book tells the story of two dogs: the first is a
Labrador retriever named Parnell, who's being trained as a guide dog for a blind chef; the
second is Clementine, the Sterns' own puppy from hell, a bullmastiff whom they call
"the devil disguised as a tiny round-eyed weanling." Alternating chapters,
intercut with short sections of practical information regarding living with puppies, tell
of the respective dogs. Parnell's story seems unbalanced, as the Sterns reveal more about
Parnell's training and role as a guide dog than about her inborn personality. Luckily for
Clementine, her rambunctiousness is offset by endearing habits, which undoubtedly have
saved her life and convinced the Sterns to stick with her despite a period during which
they were unable or ashamed to invite guests to their house because of her antics.
Dear Kilroy: A
Dog to Guide Us (2003)
Written by Nora Vitz Harrison, a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind. This is an
inspirational look at how dogs reflect our human values. Kilroy, a yellow Labrador
retriever, started life as a potential guide for the blind. His life took a detour when he
was dropped from the program. Nora’s sister, Alice, adopted him as a pet. The love he
brought to her life eased her through a very difficult time—the dissolution of her
18-year marriage. Watching and participating in this special relationship reminded Nora
that success takes many forms. Kilroy "failed" as a guide dog, but he succeeded
in changing Alice’s life for the better. He became her guide as she made her journey
from grief to new happiness.
Some of the best teachers in this world have four legs and bark. Dogs help us make
friends, transcend tragedies, grieve the loss of loved ones and just plain enjoy life.
According to researchers, pets improve our human immune-system functions—a fancy way
to say they make us feel good. Dear Kilroy, a collection of inspirational stories,
photographs, and imaginary canine correspondence, celebrates this magical relationship
between people and dogs. The book’s true-life stories follow a few special dogs and
the human lives they change. As the dogs in these stories strive to fulfill their
potential—whether to become a guide for the visually impaired or to become the best,
most-trusted pet of someone in need—they teach us all how to become better human
beings.
The Leading
Lady: Dinah's Story
This book was written by Betty White and Tom
Sullivan and published by Bantam Books in 1991. This is an account of two celebrities and
the Golden guide dog who touched both their lives. When Sullivan, blind since birth,
realizes that his devoted guide dog Dinah is herself losing her sight, he is forced to
adopt a new working dog. But Dinah cannot accept this "career change" to family
pet. Betty White, a longtime friend and animal-lover, comes to the rescue by taking Dinah
in. This is an appealing book that gives insight into the lives of the blind and sends a
huge message about human-animal bonding.
The Right Dog
for the Job: Ira's Path from Service Dog to Guide Dog
This book was written by Dorothy Hinshaw
Patent with photographs by William Munoz, and published in May 2004 by Walker &
Company. For grades one through five, this delightful photo-essay follows a puppy from his
training to become a service dog to becoming a guide dog. In conversational tones, Patent
describes Ira's training with his raiser, who happens to be a teacher, and the sixth-grade
class lucky enough to participate in the process. The Golden Retriever then moves on to
more preparation with Guide Dogs for the Blind in California, and is eventually paired
with a blind man. The author keeps the focus tightly on this animal and the people around
him, but manages to slip in an extraordinary amount of information about the raising and
training of guide dogs. She brings life to the narrative through details–Ira learning
to ride the bus, for example, and practicing the proper way to enter an elevator so that
it won't close on his leash. The book comes to a satisfying conclusion when Ira and his
new owner arrive at the eighth-grade graduation of the students who helped raise him.
Myriad full-color photographs that will capture kids' interest accompany the text.
Looking Out for
Sarah (2001)
This book was written by Glenna Lang. For K to grade 3. Based on a true story, this
handsome picture book tells of a day in the life of a guide dog, Perry, a black Labrador
retriever who looks out for his blind owner, Sarah. Every page shows the close bond
between the strong, active woman and the beloved companion who helps her be independent.
Walking in the street, shopping, working, and relaxing at home, they are together. The
narrative is true to Perry's viewpoint, whether he's enjoying the soft carpet and the
crumbs under the table or leading Sarah up the steps of the post office or feeling the
wind flattening his ears as he runs in the park. The gouache art, in bold, saturated
colors and flat, well-defined shapes, is both childlike and sophisticated, with Perry at
the center of the big pictures. Once Sarah and Perry walked 300 miles, from Boston to New
York, and children will be caught up by the excitement of the journey as well as by the
depiction of what a guide dog can do.
A Guide Dog
Puppy Grows Up
This book was written by Caroline Arnold in
1991 and published by Harcourt Brace & Company. Ever see dogs in special harnesses
leading blind people and wondered how they learned to do these things? Well, this book
tells you how. Meet Honey, a Golden Retriever puppy, and follow her through two years of
training with the Guide Dogs for the Blind program. Come see her grow up with her 4-H
family, and then work with her Guide Dog trainer, and later with her future blind partner.
And, see Honey graduate and finally earn the title of certified Guide Dog.
Guide Dogs: From
Puppies to Partners (2002)
Written by Diana Lawrenson for ages 9-12. A brief look at how guide dogs are bred, raised,
and trained in Australia. She begins by giving general information on who uses the guide
dogs and some facts about training schools around the world. Then she turns to what
generally happens when a puppy is bred to be a guide dog, focusing on a Labrador
retriever's birth and first seven or eight weeks of life. As in the United States, the
dogs are farmed out to families for one year to become accustomed to people. They are then
sent to training school for 20 weeks and finally paired with the person with whom they
will be working. Several "teams of two" are profiled. Color photographs show the
dogs and elements of training, including an interesting chart of the commands that they
must learn.
Rugby &
Rosie (1997)
Written by Nan Parson Rossiter for ages 4-8. This is an account of a family and the puppy
they raise for a year, until she is old enough to train to become a guide dog. Rosie is a
yellow Labrador retriever puppy, and Rugby is the family's chocolate Lab. The story is
told by a boy who is best friends with both of them. Boys and dogs spend hours playing
together, but Rosie gets special training, too. Her family is strict with her about
begging at the table or jumping up on people; they help her grow accustomed to traffic and
commotion by taking her downtown to stores, on city buses, and other places her new owner
will need her. Particularly well-limned are the boy's mixed feelings as Rosie's departure
draws near. He wants her to succeed as a guide dog, but if she fails he'll be able to keep
her. When Rosie does leave, it's Rugby, of course, who suffers the most, without an
understanding of where his friend has gone.
Guide Dogs
(Animals With Jobs)
Written by Judith Janda Presnall and published in 2001. For ages 9-12. Leading those who
are sight impaired, guide dogs give self-esteem to many people who are afraid to venture
out when their eyesight forces them into a dark world. Read how the dogs are trained from
the puppy stage, to formal training, and then on to guiding their human partner.
The Guide Dog
Mystery (Boxcar Children Mysteries, No 53
Thisa book was written by Gertrude Chandler Warner, illustrated by Charles Tang, and
published by Albert Whitman & Co. in 1996. In this story, the Boxcar Children are
visiting the Greenfeld Guide Dog School. Jason, the school's instructor, shows the
children how he trains dogs to lead the blind. The Aldens watch as Anna, a new student,
learns to use her Golden guide dog Ginger. But, strange things soon start happening at the
school. Ginger is stolen from the kennel. Is someone after her? The Boxcar Children are
determined to find out. You better be sure to check this one out!
Kristy Thomas,
Dog Trainer (Baby-Sitters Club, No 118)
This book was written by Ann M. Martin in April 1998. In this story, Kristy's newest
babysitting job is very challenging. Ten-year-old Erin was recently blinded in an
accident, and is not ready to rely on people. At the same time, Kristy's family has just
begun training Scout, a puppy who is to become a Guide Dog.
Follow My Leader
(1994)
Written by James B. Garfield. For ages 9-12. After Jimmy is blinded in an accident with a
firecracker, he has to relearn all the things he used to know. With the help of a
determined therapist, he learns to read Braille and to use a cane. Then he's given the
chance to have a guide dog. Learning to work with Leader is not easy, but Jimmy tries
harder than he ever has before.
Guide Dog News
Guide Dog News is the Golden Dogs for the Blind's quarterly newsletter. It is full of
stories about their program, insightful columns from their veterinarians and trainers, and
in-depth articles about blindness and Guide Dog use.
To get on the organization's mailing list, please call (800) 295-4050. Guide Dog
News is also available in Braille or on cassette for graduates of their program.
Smoke Alarm Training for your
Dog (2002)
By Anders Hallgren. A Swedish animal behaviorist introduces a new, revolutionary training
technique that could save your life! Any dog, small or large, can be taught to alarm its
family for smoke or fire in the home, whether they live in a house or an apartment. Simple
step-by-step program and illustrative pictures show how dog owners can have a smoke alarm
trained dog in just a few weeks. *This is the first thing of its kind available and should
be part of any dog owner's emergency kit.
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