Macon Magazine

What a Christmas-morning treat for the three McCormick boys when Rubble, who they knew and had helped train, moved into his "furever" home! It was then that Shannon began using Rubble as a therapy dog, primarily at Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital in Macon. "The joy and love Rubble brought to the children and their families was amazing. He became another heartbeat for those struggling," Shannon said. "The kids loved it when Rubble put his head on the bed for them to pet and they marveled at being able to give Rubble commands, which he would obey! Sharing Rubble with individuals experiencing stress was and is another win-win situation." And then there is Edgar, a Labrador. Edgar has had the good fortune of spending weekends with Janis Haley, a Maconite and long-time weekend puppy raiser. After Edgar completed his training at BCTC, Janis bade farewell to him — as she has with many dogs through the years — and sent him back to Smithtown, New York, for the final phases of his guide dog training. In New York, after a few more weeks of stringent training, the dogs are ready for their final tests. Blindfolded instructors perform the final obedience test, including off-leash recall in an enclosed indoor setting; the final blindfold test, when the instructor walks a route on an urban street and sidewalk for 40-50 minutes and requires the dog to perform sits and downs in harness at any point en route; the final building test, when dog and instructor work their way through a mall while staying focused in the food court areas and navigating escalators, elevators and stairs; and the final traffic test, when dog and instructor encounter staged traffic checks that require the dog to demonstrate all types of traffic avoidance responses. Dogs that pass these tests are considered "class ready" and are ready to be paired with a client. At the conclusion of his training, Edgar was paired and placed with John in King's Park, New York. A local Lions Club sent Janis a video of John and Edgar at the end of their first week together. John was exuberant about his well-trained dog — his third over the years. "These guide dogs allow me to get around, do things, develop confidence and stay independent. Edgar lives with me now, and he'll hang out with me at the Veteran's Hospital daily and help me and my grandchildren fly to Walt Disney World," John said. Next is Kelly, a small shepherd who is not a Georgia-trained dog. However, her owner, Judy Herndon Burch, is a Macon native and a graduate of the Georgia Academy for the Blind and Mercer University. She retired a year ago and currently lives in Florida. Kelly is Judy's seventh guide dog. Her first guide-dog experience was while at Mercer, with Buffy, followed through the years by Annie, Splash, Irva, Louella, Indy and now Kelly. A favorite story she shared occurred on the Mercer campus. "There had been a huge storm that knocked down power lines during my sociology class. After class, Buffy and I happily headed for the student center, as usual. A gentleman watching us walk through downed, live power lines was so alarmed and wanted to reach out and help, but was uncertain as to how. We made it to the student center, as on any other day, and he and others watching were simply amazed to see how Buffy led me safely through the fallen power lines," Judy said. Judy could not say enough about the impact her guide dogs have had on her life. "They have allowed me to be mobile, faster and more independent. The dog's years of training have resulted in blind people like me being able to enjoy life and have a life," she said. Bud, a yellow lab, is Anne Pye's twelfth guide-dog-in-training. Anne lives in Milner and has been a weekend puppy raiser since about 2013. Her interest in the Vision SHANNON MCCORMICK AND HER RETIRED GUIDE DOG RUBBLE. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022 | maconmagazine.com 71

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