He’s never had a sick day in his nine years of work and he’s the only public servant who has earned praise for sleeping under his desk while on the job. I’m talking about Quincey, Chris Stark’s professional, certified guide dog.
During his career, Quincey travelled for the Agency to every province in Canada, many states in the U.S., twice to Paris and Puerto Rico, and on every mode of transportation. He has attended countless trade shows and exhibits, beginning with the Independence 92 World Congress in Vancouver and, most recently, with the People in Motion trade show in Toronto.
The only routine activity during Quincey’s career has been eating his meals at the same time every day between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. (with adjustments for different time zones and locales, of course). He travels everywhere with his food bowl, a chewing bone and a toy. He has eaten in airplanes, offices, hotels, parks, and bus station washrooms, as well as other refined establishments.
Quincey understands about 35 words, among them: Come, Leave it, Door, Step, House, Office, and Garbage can, etc. His training as a guide dog follows the British Method, which is also used in Manotick’s School for Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Chris Stark, Quincey’s master and employer, shared some amusing anecdotes with me during our recent interview. Chris mentioned that the reason he got Quincey in the first place was as a result of the urging of his former boss and Director of Accessible Transportation, Karen McLaughlin. You see, Chris used to use a walking cane to find his way around. One day at work, Chris ran into a wall and cut himself so badly, he had to be stitched up. Karen exclaimed, Enough already, get a dog!.
The best working attribute about Quincey was his unmistakable ability to adapt to a new environment very quickly. Once, when Chris went on a Las Vegas vacation, Quincey was always able to find the hotel elevator, which was near some slot machines. The slot machines were moved every night for cleaning, but Quincey would always find the elevator and place his nose directly under the button for Chris to push for service.
What’s next for Quincey? Well, he won’t be lonely in retirement, don’t worry! He will be part of the Stark family household and will see family friends at lunchtime, while Chris and his wife, Marie are at work. Chris works at home one day a week, and Marie has a four-day work week so, Quincey will almost always have a human nearby.
Chris is spending a month in Manotick training with a new guide dog, Ritchie, who is also a Golden Retriever. So, when Ritchie comes home to live with Chris and Marie, who also has a guide dog, Zena, it will be a “three-dog night under the same woof…” I know, I know, Chris said this, not me.
Quincey has given Chris a lot during his career, but mostly he was able to make Chris feel at home anywhere during his travels. Now, Quincey can enjoy being a family pet, as well as a life in the lap of luxury retirement. I think I can speak for many of us at the Agency, who will miss Quincey, and we wish him well.