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to travel, and keeping her safe. Gerenon, 38, of Vancouver,
British Columbia, who has been blind since birth, didn’t
get a guide dog until she collided with a car backing out of
a driveway. Now Nicks is her constant companion.
“Nicks lets me know if there is a car coming I don’t
hear." Gerenon says.
Reyes and Gerenon received their dogs for free and
ail training expenses were paid for by Guide Dogs for
the Blind, which provides financial support for both
raisers and graduates.
"We are in touch with our graduates throughout the
life of their dog,” say's Joanne Ritter, 53, the organization’s
director of marketing and communications.
When she takes on a new puppy. From meets twice a
month with a local puppy-raising club for training support.
Sporting green capes labeled “Guide Dogs for the Blind,"
the pups are taken on outings to accustom them to new
surroundings, such as restaurants, malls and street traffic.
Each month, From sends a report to help the organization
evaluate the puppy’s suitability for guide dog work, since
only 50 percent of the pups pass the program's stringent
"I’ve seen people’s lives change when they get these
dogs,” From says. “It’s amazing what they can do.”
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Taking Othello to a grocery store helps acquaint him to
the environment and become familiar with food aromas.
requirements. Dogs that don't make the grade may be
deemed better suited as search and rescue dogs, dogs to
assist the hearing-impaired or loyal pets. Six of From’s dogs
have become guide dogs.
“I always told people I would raise guide dogs,”
says From, who grew up close to the Guide Dogs cen
ter. “But I never knew how until I found out about this
program at a dog show.
“I love working with dogs,” she adds, “and this
feels like I am really making a contribution.’
Karen Kanvnen is a writer in Englewood. Colo.
Visit www.guidedogs.com for
more information.
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AmericanProfile.com
Family
Finding Some
“Me” Time
Time is a valuable asset
for any busy woman. So it's important to iden
tify the time-robbers in your life, get rid of
them, and gradually replace empty' drudgery
with activities that rejuvenate you.
To discover who or whar is robbing your
time, start by keeping a log of how you spend
each hour for a day or two. Include things
such as regular work, school, caring for kids,
housework, ftxxl preparation, shopping, run
ning errands and talking on the phone.
You may discover that you are allowing your
self to be robbed of time tied mg with non-pri
onty tasks or doing things for other people that
they can do for themselves. You also may find
that you're spending dangerously little time on
activities that increase, rather than deplete, your
energy. Once you see where your time is going,
consider die following questions:
What are you doing that someone
else could do? If a 13-year-old daughter
knows her way around the Internet, she cer
tainly can learn her way around the kitchen and
master a few easy recipes.
What are you doing that could be left
undone for now? No family ever collapsed
for want of perfectly organized closets.
How are you allowing other peo
ple to determine your schedule? Just
because the phone rings doesn’t mean you have
to answer it. Let an answering machine take
calls so you can talk to chatty friends when it's
convenient for you.
Do you run errands during high-traf
fic times of the day? Whenever possible,
shop when others don’t. (Tip: Shop tor groceries
on Tuesday mornings. Tire shelves have been
re-stocked overnight so the food is fresher, and
fewer people shop on Tuesdays.)
What’s on your schedule that’s not a
top priority? If you'd rather take a photogra
phy class than serve as an officer in the Garden
Club, give yourself permission to do so.
Ridding your life of time-robbers and
reclaiming time for yourself not only will
benefit you. but your family as well. After
all, if you’re tired and resentful because you
never have “me” time, the spillover takes its
toll on everyone. But when you honor your
own needs for personal time, you're honoring
others as well. After all, the way we treat our
selves affects the way we treat others. 3^
Kathy Peel is frequent American Profile
contributor.
Page 16
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by
KATHY
PEEL