Graduations Celebrate New Possibilities for Clients
Class for new GDB guide dog teams looks different this year. Some clients are completing their training on campus in small, socially-distanced classes; others are receiving individualized in-home training. Smaller private Zoom meetings have taken the place of public graduation celebrations. But even as we hold virtual graduations because of COVID, the day is still something special for all of us. It marks the start of new, life-changing partnerships.
Recent grad Chari Chauvin says she loves the “magical” feeling of “fluidity and confidence” she gets when walking with her new guide dog Haviland.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day this month, we’d like to shine the spotlight on Gift, a new member of GDB’s breeding colony, and puppy foster mom extraordinaire! Gift has yet to have her own litter, but her maternal instincts kicked in when it counted. When another dog was unable to care for her pups, Gift stepped in to help socialize the litter the way that only a canine mother can.
Gift was raised in a home where her puppy raiser also fostered kittens. Gift had displayed her maternal instincts mentoring and snuggling baby kittens, so our Canine Welfare Neonatal and Veterinary teams decided to introduce Gift as a foster mom. The pups took to her instantly.
TriMet Keeps People with Visual Disabilities Moving During COVID-19
GDB has partnered with Portland’s mass transit agency, TriMet, to bring awareness to the challenges people who are visually impaired face as they navigate buses, trains, and other public places in a socially distanced manner.
GDB and TriMet are calling for compassion during COVID-19, and are asking people to be aware and respectful of those who cannot see all the visual cues and may find it difficult to keep physical distance from others.
Musician Composes Song Featured in his Video Testimonial About his First Guide Dog
Graham Norwood and his yellow Lab guide Malcom recently graduated from our California campus. Malcolm is Graham’s first guide, and as he so eloquently shares, they are off to a fantastic start! This video of Graham is audio described, features closed captions, and is accompanied by a transcript. This reflects an evolution in how GDB creates videos that are more accessible and inclusive.
Thanks to you, GDB is Helping to Protect Access for Guide Dog Users
Thanks to everyone for supporting our efforts to crack down on fraudulent service animals! GDB is sponsoring California legislation to protect public access rights for people with legitimate service dogs like guide dogs by addressing the online sale of fraudulent service animal certificates.
California Assembly Bill 468 passed its first committee hurdle 17 to 0! If the bill becomes law in California, it could have far reaching implications for the service dog industry throughout the U.S.
