Hello All – as many others have done recently, I had the pleasure to present, on behalf of Capital Funeral Home & Cemetery and our Arbor Memorial Foundation, a generous cheque to the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Quite often, their “puppy trainers” use the park in the Mill Run development, here in Almonte (on Sadler Drive) — directly across from my front door — to train the younger dogs before they become fully qualified as a guide dog. Watching them from my verandah is what piqued my interest in them, so I did some research and realized what an invaluable organization they are for their clients.
What they do is certainly life-changing and life-enabling for their clients….I had a tour of their entire facility and realized this is more than just a training centre for these beautiful, smart and intuitive dogs — please visit https://www.guidedogs.ca/ to learn more.
Nadja, (in photo on left), very patiently, took me on a blindfolded walk with Kendrick, my guide dog for the walk. We walked around their buildings, on walkways, across their assorted parking areas and around a few “natural” obstacles – all under the guidance of Kendrick and some gentle voice commands that Nadja had me give him. It was a very insightful and worthwhile afternoon for me.
Both Nadja and Jane (in photo on right) are wonderful ladies and well-suited for the important work they do.
Many thanks to the Arbor Memorial Foundation and the Distribution Committee for their generosity in allowing me to do this.
Dave Bagnell, Almonte
