‘Fur’loughed, but not Forgetting…..
As the global pandemic lingers, we have counted our blessings for Thanksgiving this past week, grateful for health and safety for our loved ones, knowing that we can persevere. I am grateful for all of this, and so much more. We have weathered the challenges of 2020, some of us better than others, some with a few family members close enough to include in a ‘pod’, others not. We scrub our veggies, rely on delivery of just about everything, and work ceaselessly from our home computers, with work hours blurring into weekends. We keep things going on both the home and professional fronts where so many have lost loved ones and are struggling just to keep their homes and jobs, find a safe place for their children to learn, or enough to eat.
I know how fortunate I am that my family is safe, and I keep trying to appreciate some of the silver linings to the global pandemic clouds. I have transitioned to virtual community meetings, with almost seamless accommodations, and no more concerns about transportation challenges. My yoga teachers, always compassionate, have taken their classes online and I can continue my practice. We are blessed with an relatively isolated outdoor walking route that is available whenever we are and the weather permits. And most importantly, we celebrate the continued health and safety of our family, near and extended, as we try to wait patiently for the vaccinations to begin.
But for one family member, the challenges have been very frustrating. I am speaking, of course, of my wonderful guide dog, Shiloh! He was bred, born and raised to do one most important job-to guide me through the walks of my daily life. He is the ultimate professional, and a member of an elite corps. Graduated from Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, one of the premier guide dog institutions in the United States, my Shiloh faced a stringent training program that began with his birth, and he succeeded where almost 60% of his peers did not, in graduating the course and entering service as my team member, companion and guide.
Shiloh’s responsibilities have included being on high alert to guide me and avoid danger every time he is placed in his harness. Pre-pandemic, Shiloh and I would often venture out of the house at least 3 or 4 times a day, during which time he would carefully guide me around obstacles on the sidewalk, stop at every curb to check for traffic, escort me across busy intersections, into buildings, and wait patiently at my feet during whatever business I happened to be conducting. Shiloh also became an accomplished international traveler. Together, we have visited France, Spain and Japan, along with hundreds of domestic travel destinations. Each time, Shiloh has been the best passenger on board and the consummate guest, and has comported himself with respectful attention and dignity that has often astonished everyone around him.
I know that I am extremely fortunate to have such a companion! While Americans use guide dogs consistently, (about one in 50 blind Americans have a guide dog), and there is a wide choice of organizations that train dogs to assist blind and low vision users, guide dogs are rarely seen in other countries. A recent CNN report stated that only 200 guide dogs exist in China for a population of more than 17 million blind and low vision residents. Applicants in China may wait five years or longer to qualify for a guide dog, and the wait may be as long or even longer in other countries around the world. Shiloh and I have met with a full range of reactions from those who live in the foreign countries that we have traveled, from curiosity to confusion, admiration for guide dog capabilities to those who have no idea what a guide dog is and resisted or feared our approach. Unlike the United States, where the Americans with Disabilities Act protects the rights of persons with disabilities, many other countries do not have standard protocols that admit guide dogs on buses or taxis, restaurants and other indoor establishments. Indeed, even in the USA, Shiloh and I often have to educate those around us that guide dogs are allowed as a matter of law to accompany and assist disabled persons.
Looking at the pandemic from the professional dog’s perspective, Shiloh has been forced to be as flexible and creative, as well, just about everyone else in the world! Of course, I have done my best to ensure that he is in harness at least once a day, and to reinforce his basic training as much as possible, given the circumstances. But there is no question that he has been required to adapt his career moves, work ethic and modify protocols along with the rest of us as we wait to emerge from the pandemic.
So, once ‘furloughed, will he forget?
I think not! The discipline with which guide dogs have been trained, their willingness to serve, and let’s face it, the simplicity of their reward systems (a tasty morsel will usually do the trick!) has kept Shiloh on track. On the rare occasion that we have been out in the world where there has been traffic or others around, Shiloh has reverted to his usual attentive and diligent work ethic. Granted, he is a little more curios to sniff about, and its clear he has missed all those tantalizing outdoor aromas. But I do not have to fear that he will distract or lead me into danger, even now, almost a year into quarantine.
So my grateful conclusion is that Shiloh may have been ‘furloughed, but he has not forgotten his purpose in life, his high standard of professional conduct, his commitment to keep me safe, his manners and dignity. So, yes, I am grateful for this most capable and adorable companion, and to Guide Dogs for the Blind for their incredible gift of independence to me by making our team work possible.
And as to the lessons for the rest of us humans? Well, its a dog’s life, right now, for sure. May we all emerge from this pandemic experience with as much patience, discipline and optimism as Shiloh displays for me, every day. Oh, the wisdom of our canine friends! So much to be grateful for.
