I am a Scorpio, just like my companion, Chris Stark, and his reader, Helen Lanctôt. I will be two years old on October 26. I am a 79-pound golden retriever. I am also a professional, a certified guide dog.
I was born in England. I spent my first year in Canada with my puppy walkers, the Dockendorff family of Stittsville, who helped me learn to live with people. I went to Obedience School and won first prize.
Before coming to the National Transportation Agency, I went to dog school where I met my companion. We went through a month of dog immersion together. I remember our first meeting:
the bedroom door opened and my principal trainer, Maggie, said, “This is the person you will be guiding. His name is Chris”. Chris and I got to know one another.
It was a happy day for me. I would no longer be living in the kennel, I had finished my six months training. I had learned many things: how to avoid obstacles, how to find my way through mazes like in the “Dungeons and Dragons” game, how to walk right up to the curb with many noisy trucks and cars passing by, how to travel in a straight line, (particularly when crossing streets), and how to recognize simple one and two syllable words of command, such as “Left”, “Right”, “Forward”, “Up up”, and “Sit”.
It was hard for Chris at the beginning. He had to learn to think of us as a team and to trust me. I had to learn to understand his voice, hand and body gestures. Our initial mistakes of turning left when we wanted to go right, or him not walking straight gave way to a shared self-confidence and our meeting challenges together. Speaking for myself, I enjoy finding doors and stairs for Chris.
The one month of training was often difficult and dangerous work. I will never forget the trainer telling my new companion, “Don’t you dare flinch” as she drove her car straight at us and made sure that the tires squealed. This is one of the ways that we learned to cope with traffic.
My life, however, is not all work and awards: I like to play, too. I enjoy swimming and running in the woods while wearing my play collar with bells so that Chris can hear where I am. Some of my other interests include chewing sterilized bones like the one in my office, playing with latex toys like my squeaky pineapple, and taking “love breaks” with my companion.
Graduating with me from the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind in Manotick were my brothers Quentin, who will live in Ottawa, too, and Quern, who will be going to Memorial University in Newfoundland, and my sister Quaga, who will be living in Lindsay, Ontario. The rest of my sisters and brothers from the “Q” litter are on the next course, which started the week after I graduated. Just before I left Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind for my new home, my cousins, ten little puppies from the “Y” litter, were starting the cycle all over again by meeting with their new puppy walkers at the school.
Now Chris and I are a team, working together for the next ten years until I retire on pension. I find the way and Chris gives the directions. Don’t imagine that I’m perfect, because I have my limitations and my quirks: I am colour-blind and don’t see street lights. I don’t like the salt on the winter streets. Unleashed dogs make me nervous. Squirrels and other birds fascinate me.
Essentially, I am very gentle and eager to please. The world, in fact, is so interesting to me that I sometimes get distracted from my work and need immediate sharp correction, which is always followed by a word of praise. So please don’t tempt me with petting when I’m in harness. All the nice people here at the NTA are interesting to me, too, but I have to concentrate on my work. Please don’t offer me food, because it will encourage me to scavenge and want food in restaurants. Don’t worry, I get two good meals a day.
When I am not in harness, I will be pleased to say “Hello” to you when you ask my companion first. While Chris is working, I can be found sleeping on the carpet under the desk in our office.
I look forward to working with you all!