June 10, 2010
Orangeville Citizen/Free Press and Economist
Black Lab Hedda now Laura’s eyes By LINDSEY PAPP Staff Reporter
“Harness, Hedda,” said 16-year-old Orangeville resident Laura Jotham, as she stood holding a black Canine Vision Canada (CVC) harness in front of her small black Lab Hedda. Hedda was almost immediate in her response. Putting her head through
the harness, she waited patiently for Laura to secure it to her small body. Laura and Hedda have been together now for a month. The first 26 of those days were spent in Oakville at the Sir James Dunn Dog Guide Training Centre, created by the Lions Foundation of Canada. “I’ve never stayed
Challenged by PPS • From page A4
able to service it for housing. Mr. Young sought to have the 20 acres redesignated but Mr. Wever says it would be difficult to meet the provincial criteria for including it for development. However, the council will consider the request
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away from home that long before by myself,” said Laura. “I thought it was going to be a completely uncomfortable situation. But it was great, the staff was great and the accommodations were fantastic.” Laura has Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), which is a blinding eye disorder that primarily affects premature infants. Laura was born at 26 weeks, spending almost half the first year of her life in hospital. She developed ROP during that time. Laura is legally blind with only 10 per cent vision in her right eye, and none in her left. Since completing the program in Oakville she has found she can move through life with more confidence. “It’s not necessarily things I wouldn’t have done before, but now I’m just that much more confident,” said Laura. “I don’t need to wait for someone to take me or wait for a friend to go with me.” Since graduation Laura has been readjusting to life
at home with her new companion. “It’s been a bit difficult just because I have to balance her (Hedda) and schoolwork and everything else,” she said. She was quick to add that her anxiety came from being unable to relate to this experience and not knowing what to expect. Laura commented that she was glad the program was a bit lengthy. She was able to establish a working routine with Hedda that has continued since they arrived home. Greg Clarke, CVC’s head trainer in Oakville, said that for clients the program doesn’t end at the end of the training session. After the client returns home, within between two weeks and a month a trainer will visit them at home to make sure the dog is listening to commands and the client is happy. “I can vouch for a thorough, all-encompassing curriculum,” Laura said. She commented that throughout her time in Oakville they were given
various tasks to accomplish that simulated real life. “It costs $6,000 to train a dog in the Canine vision program,” said Mr. Clarke. Funds as well as the number of dogs bred and accepted to the training program are among the problems that face the Lions Foundation of Canada. “There is no cost to a client,” he added. “Everything’s covered from (the client) being assessed, flying to Oakville or any other transportation to get here, their stay here is all taken care of.” Since her enrolment in the program Laura and Hedda have accomplished a lot together. “We did a trip in Downtown Toronto using the subway, using the escalators,” Laura said. She commented that before Hedda she was terrified of both those things. But now ‘it’s like nothing.’ They also did the Purina Walk this past
weekend. “It was really, really good,” she said. “I think it’s important for people to see the end result, what they are helping accomplish.” She stated that the walk is something that she hopes to continue doing annually with Hedda. “Walk for dog guides is a big fundraiser for the program, it helps us continue what we are doing,” said Mr. Clarke. Before, the CVC university for Laura was starting to fade away for her. Now, it is still a big unknown but now she knows that wherever she ends up going, she won’t be alone. “On the back of Hedda’s tag it says ‘Path to Freedom,’ which is really what she is,” Laura said of the dog resting patiently beside her. “I think there should be more facilities like this and I think that anyone who can participate or volunteer their time or donate should because it’s a great thing to do.”
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