Friedman Place Welcomes a Furry Resident

Cassidy is a two year old medium-sized black lab and bred especially to be a guide dog. A loving couple from California, who have trained many other dogs to be guide dogs, raised Cassidy. The couple befriended Tina and attended the graduation. At the same time Tina worked hard to recover from the stroke that caused her blindness and learned orientation and mobility skills at Friedman Place in order to be eligible for a guide dog, Cassidy trained equally as hard to be eligible to support someone’s independence. These two were truly meant for each other and are already best friends. Tina said, “At Friedman Place I learned how to feel more safe, secure and confident while inside, but I felt that a guide dog would help me conquer my fear of being outside alone, especially at night.” It took Tina almost a year from the beginning her application to her acceptance into the program. She was grateful to Friedman Place staff that supported her through the process. We are so excited to add another guide dog to our Friedman Place family. Currently, three residents and two of our staff members have guide dogs. We are proud to offer a dog exercise area and cover the costs of food and grooming for resident guide dogs.

In order for Tina to be accepted into the guide dog school, she had to be very proficient in white cane use. She had to submit a video of her walking outside with her white cane, crossing intersections, and using public transportation. The reason for this is that a guide dog won’t teach you how to be independent, it is just there for support as you go about your day. She filled out long questionnaire and also had to video tape her responses for the school to determine if she would be a good fit for a guide dog. One of Tina’s great joys has been the dogs in her life. However, she was devastated when she had to re-home her dogs after the stroke. The pair are quite happy to be together. Tina hopes she inspires others to do whatever it takes to reach as much independence as they desire, “You just have to keep at it.”