FREEDOM FORUM

Volume 1 Issue 12
"Hometown Training"

NOV. 1999

 Freedom Guide Dogs 
1210 Hardscrabble Road 
Cassville New York 13318
(315) 822-5132 
E -mail Freedomdog@juno.com


Travel Times Two

Tammy Robbins loves to travel so much that she decided to go to school to become a travel agent. Add to that mix being a homemaker for her son, Aaron, attending first grade and her husband, Jim, getting off to work in the morning. Jim is also blind and works as a directory assistance operator for SNET. And if that is not enough, add two guide dogs that need care and attention. The days are active in the Robbin's household; that's for sure.

With a busy schedule like that, when it came time to get another guide dog, going away (normally you have to go to a school for 3-4 weeks) wasn't an option. Tammy likes to travel but commitments to her family and continuing her education come first. Thai's where Freedom Guide Dogs "Hometown Training" program came in. 'Not only was I able to stay home and locally to train with my new guide dog, the instructor was able to schedule training during the hours while everybody was out, so I could dedicate my full attention to working with my new dog." Tammy also notes, with the flexibility of "Hometown Training", she was able to keep up her schooling by only missing a week of attendance and keeping up on her work via the computer. "If I had gone away to get a guide dog, I would have missed too much work and would have had to skip the semester of school. By the end of the first week of training, I was working my new guide dog to school under the supervision of the instructor."

Tammy's new guide dog, ironically, is named Icon, a computer term. The puppy raiser family (Barry & Barb Ridge), who named Icon, donated Freedom's computers and keep them up and running for us. In the travel agency business, you spend a lot of time on the computer. With the talking computers latest technology, Tammy can do the job effectively.

With the benefit of "Hometown Training" with a guide dog, Tammy was able to be with her family and keep the household running smoothly, continue to pursue her dream of becoming a travel agent and learn to travel with her new found friend and guide, Icon. With Tammy's schooling now completed, she is pursuing a travel agent position. That means she will have to travel with Icon to get to work to offer travel. In other words, travel times' two.
 

Donating By Shopping On The Internet

We have joined two internet shopping pages. If you purchase items from these web sites you can have the company donate to Freedom Guide Dogs. The amount that the company will donate is a proportion of the amount you spend. It does not cost you anything. So if you are shopping on the internet this holiday season, or anytime, please consider Freedom Guide Dogs. The two sites are, www.greatergood.com and www.give.com. Every penny counts here!

A Special Thanks

The United Assistance Dog Campaign voted to give Freedom Guide Dogs a grant to build two new whelping areas is the basement of our facility. The work was hard and long as we first needed to dig out 8 inches of wet clay, pour concert and do some wiring, but now all is done. It looks wonderful. We have two new whelping areas, each with a smooth easy to clean floor, six foot high fencing, a heat lamps, and whelping boxes. We also put in a door directly to the outdoors which saves the pups, adult dogs and humans a great deal of trouble. Drains underneath the floor were put in so everything is DRY!! This has made a great difference in the usage of space, ease of cleaning, bathing and grooming of all of the dogs. We thank the UADC for making this dream possible.
 

Sponsored Puppy Graduates

Star has finished his training and is a guide dog in New York City. Barbara the recipient and Star pictured right are doing well. The sponsorship for Star was by a group of people from the 1993 Matrons Club a group from the Eastern Star. This wonderful group raised over $5500 to be able to name a pup which was raised and trained to become a guide dog. They named him Star, after their organization. Freedom and Barbara are grateful for their generosity.

We always welcome sponsors who care to name a pup, if you are interested please call Sharon at 315-822-5132 or E-mail us at Freedomdog@juno.com.

Give A Gift Of Independence

Your contribution to Freedom Guide Dogs means someone's freedom. All funds are applied to provide highly trained guide dogs to men and women who are blind. A guide dog not only offers independence and mobility but companionship as they travel through life together as a team. There is no charge to the client for the trained guide, or the equipment that goes with the guide. Freedom Guide Dogs is a 501 (C) (3), a not- for profit charity and does not receive any funding from the government, or insurance. Your contributions go a long ways in helping us continue to serve the blind through our "Hometown Training". If your company participates in the United Way, Freedom Guide Dogs can be your designated charity by writing us in through your employment giving. All donations are tax deductible.

A copy of our latest annual report may be obtained, upon request, from Freedom Guide Dogs or from The Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, New York 10271.
 

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