All Grown Up and Working...

Fame and Fortune come to Lightning...

Publication:The Lawton Constitution;

I am so fortunate to be in a situation where I am loved and needed in my permanent home and now I am famous too! This was in my local paper a few weeks ago...

Date:Nov 8, 2009;

Section:The Insider;

Page Number:3

A guiding paw

Guide dog helps woman navigate life

BY TYRELL ALBIN STAFF WRITER TALBIN@LAWTON-CONSTITUTION.COM



Lightning is an 18-month-old female golden retriever who has taken over as academic counselor Kay Love’s new service dog.

For Love, who is blind, Lightning means independence.

“It is such a wonderful feeling, to be able to get out and just go at your speed, on your time, and do the things you want to do,” Love said.

Lightning helps her navigate through daily life. The dog helps Love avoid obstacles and understands a multitude of commands for finding specific things, like stairs and elevators, and distinguishing between inside and outside doors.

Love’s last guide dog, Holly, a black Labrador retriever approaching the age of 11, recently retired. Now she sits at Love’s home and relaxes, free to be just a beloved pet instead of a guide dog.

“Holly had been giving me signals for quite some time that she was just not interested in working as a dog guide anymore,” said Love.

So, after nine years of service, Holly now snoozes on the couch and helps raise the eager puppy who has taken over her job.

When it became necessary to find a new service dog, Love contacted the Leader Dog School for the Blind in Rochester, Mich. She flew to the school, where she went through the detailed, nearly month-long process of obtaining a dog and training with it.

Everything was paid for by the Leader Dog School for the Blind, Love said.

“When you go to the school, you arrive on a Sunday afternoon,” she said. “You meet with your trainer and some of the people you will be working with. And then Monday morning you start your first work.”

For the first few days, the trainer actually took walks with Love attached to a service dog harness, as if he were the dog. He was testing her confidence, how quickly she reacted and gave commands, getting a feel for what sort of service dog handler she is.

On Wednesday, Love was the first one in her training group picked to receive her dog.

The trainer had her sit down. He told Love her new dog’s name was Lightning and that he would be right back.

He returned with the squirming puppy who has become Love’s service dog.

“Lightning ran over to me and was all wiggly and excited, and I petted her for a bit,” Love said. “Then she dropped to the floor and rolled on her back for me to pet her belly. She wanted to have her tummy rubbed. I guess that’s how she decided whether I’m a valuable person.”

For the next few weeks, Love and Lightning spent a great deal of time together at the school learning to work as a team. They returned home Oct. 9.

“For such a young dog, she’s really made great headway,” Love said.

She said Lightning already does an excellent job of guiding her around obstacles smoothly. She’s also very obedient and is good about getting back on task when she is distracted.

Love said the biggest challenge she faces with Lightning is the young dog’s exuberance and endless energy.

And there is that aforementioned chewing issue.

Love said Lightning recently chewed up her leather leash at work. Now Lightning has a chain leash instead.

When Lightning isn’t wearing her work harness, Love said she really lets her puppyhood show.

“She’s very much a puppy, so she thinks everything is a game and play. When she’s at home, she’s just a dog,” said Love.

Love’s coworker, academic counselor Heather Nance, has worked with Love for three years. She said after a while, you barely notice a service dog around the office, especially well-behaved ones like Lightning and her predecessor, Holly.

“It’s actually kind of nice,” Nance said. “It’s nice to have a ‘fur relief’ during the day. And it’s also been quite a learning experience to see someone who has other challenges to work around.”

MICHAEL D. POPE/STAFF Lightning, an 18-month-old female golden retriever, is Cameron University academic counselor Kay Love’s new service dog. Lightning helps Love, who is blind, maintain her independence in daily life.



MICHAEL D. POPE/STAFF Kay Love, academic counselor for student support services at Cameron University, walks down a hallway near her office with her new service dog, Lightning.

A New TEAM

Here is a picture of me in my uniform with my new partner...

We are a new team with Leader Dogs

I have a wonderful new job...

and my foster mom is thrilled that I have my forever home and the job I was born to do.

A New Home

I love my new person and got a chance to see Gail and Ren again on Saturday which was wonderful! It seems fitting that my new job will involve working on a college campus! Gail took some pictures and we will post them for you if we get the OK. I am just soooo excited to be doing the job I was born to do!!!

~Lightning

LEADER DOGS FOR THE BLIND

Word came today that Lightning and her client will be graduating as a team from Leader Dogs for the Blind on October 3rd, 2009! Her sister Lia is also graduating from the same program the same day! Way to go puppies!

Lightning visits home and hospital end of May

So, the end of May my first foster family picked me up from Gail's house for a visit. I swam with Star as shows in the previous post and we had a couple of playdates. A few days after I got back to Gail's, she took me to college at HQ in Grand Rapids. I passed my temprament test.... yaaaay! Mama was proud! But it was decided that my sister (Lia) and I might be more suited to being seeing eye dogs. So we are in training at Leader Dog. Mom called yesterday and I am in phase 2 of the 4 phases. LD says the PAWS puppies are almost always successful in this job.

We visited Jane and Ukon in the hospital while I was at home.

Ukon relaxed with us there.

I sucked on my Pooh Bear.

Andrea and Dan seem to like Ukon and I think it's mutual.

Even at home I was sucking Pooh Bear and my teddy bear.

Tiring work this!

Lightning Visited Michigan in May

After a nice run, Lightning and Star took a swim to cool off...

Mom was not happy to see this snake in the water.

Star had a very cool ducky that we got to chase.

We really had a BLAST!

More Pictures from Farley Castle

Gail took some pictures of me. My first mom is going to visit with me for a few days and then in just over a week I am off to college.

I am protecting Gail from dragons and such. I am no longer the timid puppy.
But I still like to suck a toy when sleepy.

I'll miss Annie, as she'll still be in California when the folks visit.

To Boldly Go Where No Paws Pup has gone before...

Here are some photos of me travelling the solar system! I think I make a very cute astronaut...much prettier than the Russian dog that went years ago!. I began by visiting the Sun. I got to see it just in time, because a little kid exploded it just after I had set out for Mercury. Brenda and Gail have trained me so well that I didn't even jump when the SUN exploded!

I liked Venus the best of the planets...that's because i'm a lovey dog :-)

I continued on past Mars wiith short stops at the rest, mostly to get my passport stamped. Every girl needs a well-filled passport!. I finally came to Pluto, which I think should defintely still be a planet. Then I left our solar system and after travelling at warp speed for a while arrive at....

Planet Hair Salon!. Lovely people live there and Gail's fur got made a nice color. I had a good rest, because they thought my fur looked great as it was

love and licks,

Lightning, the star traveller.

Lightning on Leopard

Leopardskin really suits me, don't you think!

Mom really should have brought me to California so I could sign up with a Hollywood agent. Maybe I'll get assigned to a movie star when I graduate college.

Happy Easter

I hope you have a wonderful Easter!

What a beautiful Lightning Bunny!

Last Days Home....

My final job with Mom was to cheer up Miss Jane at Beaumont. I knew she needed a hug.

Me and Friday put our easter bunny ears on to get a smile.
Friday took a turn too. Those Laker kids LOVE Miss Jane, but then who doesn't? We all love Miss Jane.

Mom held Friday's paw up to mine to see whose is bigger. We're close, but I think I beat him. When you consider he's only 14 weeks old, he has big feet.

My sister Lia and I said good-bye on Tuesday at our class. She now outweighs me by 8 lbs. She was such a little thing when we were babies.

Packing is hard work!

Is there a foster puppy union? I think making me scrub floors is TOO much!!!

Today I went to live with Miss Gail. My birthday is Tuesday, so I'm not quite a year old. I am off to college next month.

Ukon's harness

Here is a preview of what's to come. I tried on a working dog harness. I think it looks good on me. I am leaving Thursday for another raiser home, but it's only another month until I am a college girl.

My friends in the H, J, and K litters are going up this month, so I will know a lot of the other students. They can teach me the ropes and introduce me to the guy who rides the Harley. LOL

AWANA

My mama is so proud of me. I can do a sit stay and focus on Mom when kids are running, screaming, and even rolling tires around me. I love those AWANA kids.

I leave Thursday... April 2nd to go to my new raiser. Mom says I'm going to learn physics. You knew I was smart, but I bet you didn't know I was that smart!

Another picture from Coney

My friend Tresa's mom got a picture of the two of us.

I wish they would have taken capes and leashes off and let us run and run and wrestle. We could really have a blast!

Friends welcome spring

We spent time with friends this afternoon at Coney and had a great time.

It's kind of sad though because my friend Kingsley leaves for college next week and Karson is going somewhere around the same time. I am leaving too in about five weeks.
Aunt Jane held Nigel and Friday while Ukon was napping next to her.

Macy is as wonderful as she is beautiful...

Friday got passed around a lot.

Here's Kingsley. He is ready to head off to school, but his family and friends will miss him.

Irish Princesses

Mom says I have some Irish blood. She does too. But I guess everyone is a little Irish on St.Patrick's Day. Even my sister Annie.

May the Road Rise up to meet you
May the wind always be at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face...

And the rain fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again...

May God hold you in the palm of His hand. (Irish blessing)

Top o' the mornin' to you...

Annie and I hope you have Irish stew, shepherd's pie, and corned beef with cabbage...

OK, really we wish we got some of that stuff, but we do wish you a

VERY HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY !