The Rumerys, "Duke" and "Jaydn"
Jasper, Georgia is about an hour and a half north of Atlanta. It’s a small town located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains
and when Scott and Bronwyn Rumery were placed with “Duke” and “Jaydn,” it caused a stir. “We’ve become local celebrities here in Jasper,” said Bronwyn. “When people find out our dogs are brother and sister (same mother and father; different litters) and their mother’s is named Georgia, it definitely gets a reaction. It’s been really nice.”
Bronwyn and Scott are both are so eager to tell you about their Fidelco guide dogs, that they often step on each other’s sentences. And the love they have for their dogs is unmistakable. “Yoshi,” (Scott’s first Fidelco guide dog) passed away last July. “We were together almost seven years and it was a bond unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” said Scott. “It was six months between Yoshi and Duke and for those six months, part of me felt dead inside.” Now teamed with his new Fidelco guide dog,Scott’s freedom and independence have been restored. “Duke has brought so much into my life,” he said. “He’s a big dog but 
he’s a sweet dog and he loves to show you how much he loves you.”
Bronwn’s first guide dog from another school could no longer work due to a stroke (the dog now lives with her mother) and she returned to using a cane. “I used a cane for eight or nine years until I got Jaydn. I was apprehensive about getting another dog because I was so scared it would get sick again. I kept coming up with excuses why I didn’t need one,” she said. “But when I got Jaydn, I put the cane down and just walked. The freedom that she’s given back to me is just wonderful.” Scott and Browyn met through “RP for Friends,” an on-line Retinitis Pigmentosa support group. And because of technology, the Internet and their love for each other, they are now a married couple. “I happened to see a couple of her posts and I sent her an e-mail message,” said Scott. Bronwyn laughs and says, “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I responded to it.” As Scott’s vision began to dim in 1998, he started to think about his options. “It was through my research and an article in the “Hartford Courant,” that I found there was a place in Connecticut that helped people like me.” Scott applied to Fidelco and in 2002, he received his first Fidelco guide dog. “My experience with Fidelco has been nothing but great,” he said. “When I come in contact with anyone that is looking for a guide dog, I tell them they should consider Fidelco.”
Bronwyn lost her vision when she was 16 years old and later, after making the decision to get another guide dog, she heard about Fidelco through Scott. “I knew that Yoshi was a wonderful, wonderful guide and I was fascinated with them bringing the dog to you and training you that way. When Scott told me that he was going to put in his application for another guide dog, he said, ‘If we’re going to do it, we should do it together.’ I took a big leap of faith and just went from there.” Today, Bronwyn has regained the freedom lost to her and has been given back the confidence that is so much a part of her life. “Having a guide dog is like dancing,” she said. “There is a certain rhythm, a particular step or movement; a trust between partners.” And, as Scott says, “Duke and Jaydn love playing with each other but when it comes time to work, the transformation to me is always mind-blowing. You put that harness on and they go from being playful dogs to ‘Ok, it’s time to go to work.’ They both do their job so well.”
Dr. Cathy Beaudoin and "Ira"
“I was 39 when I started to lose my sight,” said Dr. Cathy Beaudoin. “It was wet macular degeneration and it wasn’t long before I realized that I wouldn’t be able to work as an accountant anymore.” To Cathy, the precision and accuracy of numbers and how they translate to life, was a most special gift. To be threatened with the loss of this gift could have been overwhelming for many people.
“When I first started losing my eyesight, somebody gave me a piece of advice and it was the best advice I ever received,” Cathy said. “If you’re losing your eyesight, prepare for the ultimate loss of vision sooner rather than later.”
With these words to guide her, Cathy cut back on her corporate responsibilities and went back to school to get a doctorate. She always wanted to teach and she saw this as her opportunity to go back and get her Ph.D. in order to continue with accounting as part of her career. Cathy started graduate school in 2003 and finished in 2008. “It was a difficult transition,” she says. “I was a fairly high-level executive and here I was going back down to the bottom. My first year was particularly difficult because that was the time when I was really coming to terms with the loss of much of my eyesight.”
While she was in graduate school, Cathy often thought of getting a guide dog but wanted to be a bit more settled before making the huge commitment related to having a guide dog. Ultimately, she persevered, graduated, and landed a job on the faculty in the Business School at The University of Vermont, in Burlington. Cathy’s lack of vision did not hinder her ability to function in an academic environment. But she was always self-conscious about using her cane.
Though outgoing and energetic, she thought that having a guide dog would improve her ability to do all the little tasks associated with day-to-day living. “I’m a university professor. I’m always confident and always comfortable in my work environment.” she said. “But I didn’t like going to the grocery store, shopping for basic necessities, or just hanging out because of my attitude towards having a cane.” Finally, feeling settled at her job and new life in Burlington, she started the application process with Fidelco, an organization that she was well aware of having grown up in Enfield, CT.
While waiting to hear about a dog placement, Cathy experienced more bleeding in her “good” eye. That’s when Jason Stankoski and Mary Chappell, a Fidelco placement specialist and apprentice trainer, respectively, arrived with “Ira,” her Fidelco guide dog. Cathy’s life immediately changed for the better.
“Cathy is a brilliant woman,” said Jay. “She’s a graduate of Columbia University, she participates in triathlons with a sighted guide, she’s a ballroom dancer and, in general, is a very involved person. And Ira has kicked up her enthusiasm another notch.” Cathy agrees. “He’s definitely given me confidence; that’s the biggest thing. Confidence at being out in public. I’m not so self-conscious. I’m not worried about going places. Ira is opening up my life, especially outside of work.”
The psychological difference of having a guide dog; of people perceiving you differently because of the dog, looms large in Cathy’s mind. “With a cane, people are more apt to avoid you. It’s a huge thing,” she said. “Right now, I’m teaching small classes of seniors and grad students and they absolutely love Ira. In the fall, I’ll teach classes of 55 or 60 people. It’s hard to make a personal connection with those kids when you can’t make eye contact. I’m curious to see what will happen and see how their perception changes because I have Ira with me.”
Jay and Mary saw the profound change in Cathy during the weeks of placement. “Ira is more than a guide; he is her companion,” Jay said. Cathy agrees. “Ira is great for me. He’s the other half of me that I’ve been missing.”
John Morawski and Gump"
“John is the most consistently happy person I’ve ever met,” said his wife Joanne. “But for a couple of days, he was
unusually quiet. He was ‘off.’” John’s introspection was well-justified. While running for his commuter train and without
his white cane, he fell from a six-foot platform, down between two train cars and onto the tracks. “The conductors were scared,” he said. “I was embarrassed.”
His embarrassment, avoiding serious injury and Joanne’s concern about his commuting alone, led to a defining moment in his life. It was then that he and Joanne began to think seriously about getting a guide dog. It was his first step toward partnering with “Gump,” his Fidelco guide dog.
It took John more than a year and a chance encounter before he made his final decision. “We went to a National
Federation of the Blind meeting and I saw this person across the room,” said Joanne. “I told John, ‘I’m going to talk to this guy because he reminds me so much of you and he has this really happy dog with him.’” It was Bill Cuttle, a Fidelco client and his guide dog “Zach”. “He was so gracious and told us how glad he was that we came to talk to him. Watching the two of them just gave me hope; like this would be so great for John. We ended up going to dinner with him and his wife to see how the dog worked.”
As an active person, independence is very important to John and he worried about being encumbered by a guide dog. But after carefully weighing the pros and cons, including how a guide dog would affect his home-life and career, he asked Joanne what she thought. Her response? “It’s entirely up to you.” His response? “I’m going to get a guide dog.”
That life-changing decision eventually led him to contact Fidelco. And a short time later, John and Gump were introduced. “He’s bigger than we anticipated,” laughs John. “I like the fact that he’s a big dog and every day is a learning experience.” Likewise, Joanne is excited that Gump is now part of the family. “Gump does whatever John wants. He’s a great dog! The kids (Alexia who is seven and Brenda who is nine) just fell in love with him. He is a huge part of our family. And when he comes home from work with dad, it’s a big deal.”
Today, John and Gump commute safely each day to his job as a financial adviser and his new-found freedom has opened up the world for him. Before Gump, he was not able to travel alone to visit his extended family or for work. Now he says, “If I had to travel somewhere, I could do it. Knowing that the ability is there is a rewarding feeling.”
As for Joanne, she says, “Gump takes good care of John. It’s an enormous relief for me.”
Deborah Keating and "Xaida"
“I was an athlete before I lost my vision and blindness takes that away from you. I didn’t like using a cane and I told myself that as soon as I get enough mobility training, I’m going for a guide dog and I did.” Four guide dogs later, including Fidelco’s “Isley” and eight year-old “Xaida,” Deborah Keating had not slowed down much until a hip replacement sidelined her for three months.
Deborah grew up in a family where visual disability is a way of life. She has Stickler’s syndrome, a disease that also affects her mother and brother. But even as her vision faded, as did her ability to participate in traditional sports activities, her competitive spirit lived on. Today, she is an avid sailor (J-22s and Marblehead Sonars, both fast boats) and despite
her hip problem, which caused her to miss evening sails on Boston Harbor and regattas in Newport, Rhode Island, Deborah says optimistically, “Sailing starts in June.”
Her winter sport of snowshoeing had to be set aside as well, but she’s looking forward to renewing her trips as the snow season begins. One of the things she missed most while being out of action was working with Xaida; whom she refers to as tall but petite. “She’s pretty spunky after three months of just hanging out and not really doing anything,” said Deborah. “She’s just happy to be back to work.”
Deborah is back to work too as a central officer service technician for Verizon. And she is, once again, active in the community as an advocate for Fidelco and for guide dogs in general. “I go into the schools and talk to children about guide dogs and how important they are,” she said. “I want to educate as many people as I can.” That includes the public at large who, Deborah says, need to know more about guide dogs; especially how to behave around them. “I swore I’d never do it but I finally got a sign for Xaida’s harness that reads, ‘Ignore me, I’m a working guide dog.”’
As a seasoned guide dog user (she received her first guide dog in 1980) Deborah had a great many friends who were teamed with Fidelco guide dogs. When she moved to the Boston area, she found that a lot of Fidelco clients lived nearby. “They always said great things about Fidelco, especially their German shepherds. I fell in love with them too,” she said. “They always want to work. They always want to please you. They’re so smart.”
As Deborah resumes her 12 hour-a-day schedule, she is grateful to be back on her feet with Xaida guiding her. “It’s so great getting to walk again at my fast pace and feeling feel safe; knowing that dog is not going to hurt me in any way, shape or form. I feel safe with her.”
David Beaupre, "Tron" and "Grissom"
“He died at 7:50 a.m. right next to the bed. The way he died and the position he was in; it was like he was
That’s how David Beaupre describes the passing of Tron (Xylotron,) his guide dog and friend of seven years. After Tron experienced breathing difficulties in early January, David took him to his veterinarian who diagnosed his “gentle giant” with a form of lymphoma. “When he goes, he’s going to go quickly,” the doctor told David. It
was news that hit him like a ton of bricks.
“I didn’t know what to do at first. You tend to react with your heart, rather than your head.” said David. “But, after thinking things through, I decided that when Tron couldn’t get up and walk anymore, when his quality of life went away, then I’d put him down.” Tron saved David from having to make that agonizing decision and on March 18th, he peacefully passed away. As David says, “I got lucky.”
It took David about a week to be able to call Fidelco with the sad news that his wonderful dog had died. “I talked to Betty in the kennel and she spread the word for me,” he said. “I got a call from David Darr at Fidelco that same afternoon and he said, ‘We may have a dog for you.’ I was amazed.”
About three weeks later, Gretchen Fisher, a Fidelco trainer, brought “Grissom” to meet David and to take a test walk. She was sensitive to his grief over Tron but her experience told her to move forward so that David could get his life back to normal. She scheduled him for two weeks of In-community Placement and in mid-May, Grissom moved into his new home with his new partner. “We’re learning about each other,” David said. “Tron was a big dog and walked at a slower pace. Grissom walks pretty fast and is smaller and fits under the bus seat easier. They’re both great dogs”
David’s experience of losing his first guide dog and getting a successor dog has been painful but gratifying. His co-workers at the Hartford facility in Windsor held a fundraiser for David in Tron’s name. And the speed with which Fidelco partnered David with Grissom allowed him to continue his life with a minimum of disruption.
But, as David says of Tron, “I can never give him up and I can never replace him. At the same time, Grissom is a wonderful dog and we’ll have a great life together.”
Stand at the corner of Boston’s Tremont and Boylston streets, near Boston Common, and you’ll be amazed at the
chaos. Tourists, shoppers, office workers and street vendors mill about. Crowds of people gather to cross the intersection. When the light turns -- and sometimes even when it doesn’t (this is Boston after all) -- the pedestrians cross the street, dodging cars which totally ignore the signals. It is bedlam.
“This is why I need Osbourne,” says Janet LaBreck. “This corner is unbelievable. It’s hard to cross when you’re sighted, never mind when you’re blind.” Janet LaBreck is the commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB). Osbourne is the Fidelco guide dog with whom she was partnered last summer.
Given that the first MCB Commissioner was Helen Keller, Commissioner LaBreck fills some big shoes. After working for the MCB for more than twenty years, LaBreck was tapped by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in 2007 to oversee the agency which provides services to 36,000 Massachusetts residents who are blind.
Together, the Commissioner and Osbourne do a lot of traveling. Each day requires a 54-mile commute from her central Massachusetts home to her office in downtown Boston. Within her workday, she frequently travels across the city and, often, across the state to fulfill her duties as commissioner. When she applied to Fidelco, she told us that she needed a fast dog, as well as one who could hold his own in high level meetings and patiently endure her many public speeches without so much as a whine or whimper.
Osbourne hasn’t let her down. On the contrary, he’s garnered fans in high places. Martha Coakley, the Attorney General of Massachusetts, adores Osbourne. Her office has decided to spearhead a public awareness campaign about service dogs. State legislators and high ranking officials also fawn over Osbourne.
So does LaBreck’s husband, Russell. To hear them talk about Osbourne is like listening to new parents gush about their baby. They are amazed at his athleticism and his intelligence. They swear that he’s more clever than they are. Russell says, “We’re not teaching him, he’s teaching us.” Commissioner LaBreck marvels at how Osbourne anticipates her commands often before she has given them. “For instance, I don’t give many commands going through the Common. Osbourne is able to anticipate our destination.”
LaBreck’s office hums with activity. She gracefully fields calls from a reporter from the Boston Globe and multiple questions from staffers. While she works, Osbourne rests close beside her with his eyes closed. Don’t let his quietness fool you though. Russell calls this his “watchful waiting” and likens it to firefighters at the fire station. As soon as the alarm goes off, they are ready to work. Sure enough, when a staffer comes to ask Commissioner LaBreck for some assistance, Osbourne is up, attentive and ready for his harness.
Perhaps because she walks in Helen Keller’s footsteps, it’s not surprising that Commissioner LaBreck looks to Keller for inspiration. When addressing the New England College of Optometry as commencement speaker in 2008, she searched through Keller’s quotes to find one that spoke to her and chose this one: “One cannot consent to creep when one feels the impulse to soar.” Commissioner LaBreck loves the quote. She says, “It conveys the sense of opportunity and the desire to move forward, to accomplish and succeed that I see among our clients.” She explains it further, “You can’t hold people back. That quote says it all. That’s what we try to do here. We help to foster that drive and initiative.”
The Keller quote is appropriate to describe Janet LaBreck as well. She has never consented to creep. And with Osbourne beside her, she is soaring.
