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Midwest Eye Consultants, P.C. and Leader Dogs for the Blind announced today a new sponsorship agreement making Midwest Eye Consultants, P.C. an official corporate partner of Leader Dogs for the Blind.

This agreement pairs Leader Dogs for the Blind, a nonprofit that empowers people who are blind or visually impaired, with Midwest Eye Consultants, who has a strong culture of giving back to their communities. “By partnering with Leader Dogs for the Blind, we can reach out to people who are visually impaired not only in our communities where we practice but throughout the United States,” said Gregory L. Garner, O.D., President of Midwest Eye Consultants, P.C.

As a corporate sponsor, Midwest Eye Consultants’ 29 primary care practices located throughout the state of Indiana will work with Leader Dogs for the Blind to raise awareness and funds to support the programs that Leader Dog offers to people who suffer from vision loss. In addition, Midwest Eye Consultants pledged a financial commitment to Leader Dog. “Our doctors and staff are passionate about providing excellent eye health care for our patients and realize that the life-changing services offered by Leader Dog allow us to take our care one step further,” said Garner.

“We are extremely excited to partner with Midwest Eye Consultants,” said Susan Daniels, President and CEO of Leader Dogs for the Blind.” Our missions are well aligned and this is a natural fit. Together Midwest Eye and Leader Dog can change the lives of more people.”

While you might not think that pets have much to do with fire safety, an astonishing 1,000 fires are started by pets each year, with another half-million pets being affected by home fires.

As dog lovers, here are our top tips to help prevent fires and to be prepared in the event of a fire:

  • If your dog is tall enough to get to your countertop, monitor your stove closely and ensure that it’s off after you’re done the cooking. You may even consider keeping the stove knobs off when you’re not in the kitchen so that your dog can’t accidentally turn on the stove.
  • Regularly check your home for fire hazards (such as unattended burning candles, burdened electrical connections, lighting/appliance malfunctions, etc.) and make sure your fire alarms are activated.
  • Keep a collar on your dog with your updated contact information at all time. In the event of a fire, if your dog gets lost, someone can easily contact you based on the tag.
  • Taking your dog to a familiar area when evacuating should be part of your family crisis plan that you put together in advance. (Download “How to Make a Home Fire Escape Plan” from the National Fire Protection Agency.)
  • Keep a sticker in your home’s window that calls out the number of humans and pets in your household so firefighters know who may be inside in the event of a fire.
  • If you use space heaters, don’t let your dogs get in the habit of snuggling up to them as they are a fire hazard. Space heaters should be three feet away from anything that can burn.
  • Keep several fire extinguishers throughout your household.

Stay safe this holiday season and consider taking some of these precautionary measures so that you and your dog are safe if you’re faced with a fire.

By Kelly R. Wilson, DVM

By Paul Teranes | Leader Dog Client and Board Member

The average day in the life of a Leader Dog varies as much as the life of its user. Some dogs spend most of the day in a work environment which may consist of lying under a desk or beside a machine. Some dogs may be partnered with a person who is unemployed or retired, and spend much of the day in a home environment. Some dogs may be working in a busy city or college campus environment leading its user on and off public transportation, and down crowded sidewalks and across busy intersections. Other Leader Dogs may be working in quiet neighborhoods enabling its user to run errands and to have the freedom to get out and walk whenever the user chooses.

As a Leader Dog user for over fifty years, I consider the behavior of the dog at home as important as the working ability of the dog when out in public.

No matter what circumstances or environment the Leader Dog finds it is working in, every Leader Dog has a home life. It is likely that the dog will spend more time in the home than working outside the home. You want a dog who can relax around the home spending much of the time lying quietly, without pacing around or barking at the window every time another dog walks by the house. You also want a dog you can trust that it will not get into food left out in the kitchen if you leave the kitchen. Likewise, you want a dog who knows the difference between its toys and a pair of shoes or socks that were left on the floor. You’ll want a dog that greets visitors with a sniff or two, as dogs are likely to do, but also to leave the visitor alone once they’re in the house. Of course, you do not want a dog that will relieve itself in the house, but this also depends on the responsibility of the user to take the dog out at least four times a day to relieve itself.

All dogs like to play, and people like to play with dogs. Playing is a mutually enjoyable activity, but the dog should know when playtime is over, and be able to settle down.

There are times when a Leader Dog must be left home alone. An example of this is that my wife and I ride a tandem bicycle, and when we go bike riding, I cannot take the dog. Some dogs have a greater separation anxiety than others. To alleviate separation anxiety, do not make a big production when leaving or coming back. Just make leaving and coming back an ordinary event. To adjust the dog to being home alone, leave for a short time, and come back. Extend the amount of time that you are gone until the dog realizes no matter how long you are gone, you will come back. You should leave some toys or a Nylabone out so that the dog can amuse itself when you are gone. It may be necessary to put your dog in a dog crate when left home alone. If this is the case, put a favorite toy or a Nylabone into the crate so that the dog does not get bored.

When a Leader Dog is at home and out of the harness, it should be allowed to be a dog, so that it will be rested and relaxed when the harness is back on.

Leader Dogs for the Blind empowers people who are blind, visually impaired or Deaf-Blind. And while all of our services are free of charge, we receive zero state or federal funding. Click here to help make an impact.

 
On April 27th, we recognize International Guide Dog Day, a holiday near and dear to our hearts here at Leader Dog. As you may recall, we publicly announced the Canine Development Center Capital Campaign on this day last year – and what a year it has been!

This year, we’re proud to introduce the official Leader Dogs for the Blind blog!

We are kicking off this blog to share news about Leader Dogs for the Blind, including updates on our dogs and clients, and expert tips beneficial to you and your dog. This is also a place for you to ask questions about Leader Dog, especially the ones you’ve always been curious about.

It’s been an exciting start to 2016 for Leader Dog. So far, we’ve placed 123 Leader Dogs with clients and over 63 clients have been served through all our various programs. We’ve also had 100 future Leader Dogs born so far this year. These puppies will eventually join us in our new, innovative Canine Development Center. As you may know, our Canine Center will create the ideal learning and living environment for our dogs, which means that we can better serve our clients by providing the best-trained and highest quality guide dogs possible.

It means so much to us that you are interested in reading our blog and learning more about us – thank you! Your support helps us fulfill our mission of empowering people who are blind or visually impaired with lifelong skills for safe and independent daily travel. If you’re interested in submitting a blog post idea or have questions for our team, please contact us at LeaderDog@LeaderDog.org, we would love to hear from you!

We are looking forward to showing you an up-close, personal perspective of the dedication of the entire community that supports and is supported by Leader Dog. We encourage you to share our posts on your personal social channels.

We appreciate your support – check back often for updates!

By Sue Daniels, President/CEO