Barking up the right tree

Summer is nearly over, the kids are back in school and the time for relaxation is over.

I know this because I've received reminders for a ton of things on my autumn plate. My schedule is full. But there's one thing I have a lot of energy for and that's the Purina Walk for Dog Guides.

It would be easy to say that I was too busy to participate. But this one is for a really good cause. You hear that phrase often, and I have to admit that few charitable organizations team up for something frivolous. You rarely hear about the walk to cure plantar's warts or to stamp out pimples by 2020 (although teens might make a case for that one). There is only one way to respond to dedicated people willing to volunteer their time to generate awareness and funds for guide dogs.

Unless you witness a guide dog in action, it's difficult to understand the important role they play. The canines offer humans a sense of freedom and independence that wouldn't be possible without them.

These dogs are needed in a much greater quantity than most of us would imagine. My family has seen it first-hand. An autistic boy at my girls' school had been lucky enough to have a guide dog by his side. You could see the difference the animal made in his life. Last year, my niece lived in a university dormitory with a blind woman and a deaf woman along with their dogs. My niece told me how difficult it would have been for her roommates to have gone to university without the help of the dogs.

Training a dog for this purpose is difficult. A lot of hard work goes into their education. Once a prospective guide dog reaches eight weeks old, it can be sent to a foster home. That person must teach the dog manners and basic socialization. Every month or six weeks, the dog is reassessed for suitability. If the dog passes basic tests, it's recalled at 12 months. Then its suitability for specialized training is determined. Further education can be anywhere from six to eight months. Altogether, it costs approximately $20,000 to develop a guide dog.

It doesn't end there. Clients have to be trained, too. They're either sent to the training facility in Oakville, Ont. or the dog is shipped to the new owner.

So much care is taken with each working dog. People forget this. They typically want to pet the dogs when they meet them on the street. Just as you wouldn't go up to your bus driver and ask if you could shake her hand while she took a wide turn from Route 90 onto Portage Avenue (or at least I hope you wouldn't), you shouldn't pet an on-duty guide dog.

Last year, my pooch Bella, my twins and I attended the Purina Walk for Dog Guides. The weather wasn't perfect, but the spirit was. Participants knew that they were there to help raise funds meant to train guide dogs for those suffering visual, hearing and physical impairments. My girls and I chatted with volunteers, watched the dog show and ate more free hotdogs that our bodies needed. But it was fun. Bella spent the day on a hunt for two things: hotdogs that somehow slipped out of their buns and an opportunity to smell every dog's rear end.

Hosts of the event are the Charleswood-Tuxedo and East Kildonan Lions clubs. The five-kilometre walk is in its 26th year. The walk boasts a pretty setting, too. Dogs and owners enjoy the tree-lined walk in Birds Hill park. The Lions put a great deal of work into the event, the largest fundraiser for the guide-dog training program. Last year, they generated approximately $20,000. The national fundraiser earned just shy of $1 million.

Norman Johnson, local Lions chairman, expects between 250-300 participants to come out to share the day and help reach its goal of training 150 dogs this year. Area director Bob Robinson said 100 per cent of the funds received go into the operation of the program. If you meet the volunteers, you know they give 100 per cent, too.

For those who want to participate or donate directly, call 444-2693 or 895-1607. Additional information on the program and walk may be found at www.purinawalkfordogguides.com.

Pet calendar

You're invited to the Manitoba Pet Expo, Sunday, Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Greendell Community Centre, 75 Woodlawn Ave., Winnipeg.

There will be a variety of exhibitors with pet-themed merchandise and shelters raising awareness about animal rescue.

Look for a "dog check" area, manned by volunteers, where you can leave Fido while you go inside and look around.

For further information go onto www.manitobapetexpo.com

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The Winnipeg WienerFest First Annual Wiener Dog Races will take place on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2-3 p.m. at the Wildwood Community Club, 271 North Drive, Winnipeg.

Races are open to all Dachshunds in attendance. For more information, please contact: Barbara A. Rudiak at brudiak@winnipeg.ca or 254-8619.

char.adam@mts.net twitter.com/charspetpage

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 7, 2010 D5