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Freedom
Guide Dogs
1210 Hardscrabble Road Cassville New York 13318 (315) 822-5132 E -mail Freedomdog@a-znet.com
web address:
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Freedom to Explore Japan
Yogi, explore Japan. |
The airplane flight from New York City to Tokyo,
Japan, takes almost thirteen hours. On July 3, 2003, Catherine Mendez made
the trip, accompanied by her Freedom Guide Dog, Yogi. Catherine is a student
at Cornell University, majoring in linguistics and Asian Studies. She traveled
to Japan to take courses for five months at the International Christian
University in Tokyo.
During most of their stay, she and Yogi lived
in a dormitory with students from Europe, Asia and the U.S. Because guide
dogs are not yet common in Japan, signs were put up on the campus explaining
that Yogi was a working dog who should be allowed to accompany Catherine
wherever she went.
“A lot of people were curious about the dog,” she says. “Most of them were very courteous. They would watch him, but they didn't usually try to pet him or distract him from his work."
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Catherine was determined to experience as much of Japanese culture
as she could.She and Yogi went out to explore Tokyo whenever they got the
chance.They rode trains packed with commuters, shopped in open-air fish
markets, made their way through huge crowds on the sidewalks and maneuvered
through the heavy car and bicycle traffic in the streets.
"Tokyo is noisy, " Catherine
remembers. Almost every store has a loudspeaker or a person with a bullhorn
in front announcing what is sold inside. Garbage trucks and school buses
play music as they drive by. At election time, trucks with speakers mounted
on them drive through the streets booming out campaign slogans. She says
Yogi didn't seem to mind, though. He just kept wagging his tail. He took
all the crowds and noise in stride.
Catherine was invited to
spend two weeks with a host family on the island of Hokkdaido, in Northern
Japan. "It was very pretty there, much quieter than Tokyo.It was nice to
have a chance to live with a family, to see what their life was like on
a daily basis."
She visited Mount Fuji,
the tallest mountain in Japan, and Kyoto, which was once the imperial capital
of the country. On a visit to a Shinto temple, Catherine expected to be
asked to leave Yogi outside. Instead, the monks conducting the tour asked
her to remove her shoes, which is the custom for anyone entering the temple,
then brought a basin of water to wash Yogi's feet. Once that was done,
Catherine and Yogi were welcomed into the temple to continue their tour.
They are back in the United
States now, living with friends in an apartment close to the Cornell campus.
Catherine is finishing the spring semester of her junior year and searching
for a summer job. If Yogi seems a bit bored by the routine trips back and
forth to class every day, who can blame him? Walking on a trail up the
side of Mount Fuji was probably a lot more fun.
Don’t expect this pair
to settle down and become homebodies just yet. Catherine is already thinking
about the possibility of making another trip to Japan after she graduates.
She would like to visit Spain some day, and maybe Italy too. She wants
to try her hand at teaching, and to study folklore from diverse cultures.
Whatever Catherine decides
to do next, wherever she decides to explore, Yogi will gladly go with her.
No matter how crowded or noisy things get, he’ll just keep on wagging his
tail.
Open Kennel Set for June 12
center and kennel |
Thanks to our supporters, the new training center and kennel is a reality. Please plan to join us as we dedicate the new facility during our Open Kennel celebration on Saturday, June 12, 2004 at 1 pm at Freedom’s headquarters, 1210 Hardscrabble Road in Cassville,NY. Invitations will be mailed later in May and hotel and driving directions will be posted to our website, www.freedomguidedogs.org, as the event draws near. For more information, please e-mail us at freedomdog@a-znet.com or call (315) 822-5132. |
Your Used Vehicles Can Support Freedom
Freedom Guide Dogs benefits greatly from the used vehicle donation program. You can support Freedom and receive a tax break by gifting your used vehicles through Donation Line, LLC. All types of vehicles are accepted including cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, commercial vehicles, jet skis, snowmobiles, motor homes, buses, and boats. Whether it’s running or not, you can give your vehicle in support of Freedom. Donation Line’s services make donating easy and are provided at no cost to Freedom.
To contribute your used vehicle, simply visit www.donationline.com to
submit an application online or call 1-877-227-7487, ext. 1273. Have
your title ready and make sure you indicate that your donation is for Freedom
Guide Dogs for the Blind. Once your application is complete, Donation
Line will make arrangements with you for free towing of your vehicle and
you will receive a letter from Freedom acknowledging the fair market value
of your vehicle, which you can then deduct from your taxes.
Freedom Family Welcomes New Addition
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Hope was recently welcomed as Freedom’s newest breed dog candidate. She is currently in training for the important role she may soon play in giving blind people the freedom of a guide dog. A puppy must meet certain physical and temperament criteria before they become a breed dog. If Hope meets these criteria, she will become the first Golden Retriever to join the team of breed dogs that currently includes only Labrador Retrievers. Other breeds commonly used as guide dogs have been introduced through donations to the puppy program of three Smooth Collies and two German Shepherds. These puppies will be trained alongside the labs giving greater diversity to the training program at Freedom Guide Dogs. |
Freedom Guide Dogs has been awarded a $3,000 grant
from the Pearle Vision Foundation. The Dallas-based foundation awards only
95 grants nationwide each year. The grant will help fund the placement
of guide dogs in the coming year. “We are very grateful to the Pearle Vision
Foundation for this generous support,” notes Eric Loori, Executive Director.
“Freedom relies on generous support from individuals and organizations,
such as Pearle, to improve the quality of life for blind people throughout
the Northeast.”
Maximize Your Support With A Matching Gift
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Your gift to Freedom may be doubled, or even tripled, if your employer is a matching gift company. As part of their support of the community, many companies match gifts their employees and retirees give to nonprofit organizations such as Freedom. Additionally, some companies will match volunteer hours with a financial gift to the organization. Contributions from such programs represent $1.2 billion annually, which is 10 percent of total annual giving in the United States. To learn if your company offers this employee benefit, visit the human resources or community relations office and ask about matching gifts. The programs vary by company, but there are generally guidelines and a form to complete. Once this is done, your employer can begin matching your gifts. It’s that easy to double or even triple your gift to Freedom |
Freedom Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to breeding, raising, training and placing dogs to guide the blind through the distinctive “Hometown Training” program. This program brings the guide and the trainer to the home and community of the blind person. There the blind person is united with the dog and instructed in the environment where they live, work and enjoy daily life.
Freedom’s services, provided at no charge to its clients, are made possible through generous support from individuals and organizations dedicated to giving blind people and their families the freedom of a guide dog.