FURRY HEROS
4H to Educate public with
Leader Dog Presentations

MANISTEE -- Members of the Manistee County community will be given the opportunity to learn more about the Leader Dog program in the next few weeks thanks to some educational programs being coordinated by the Manistee County 4-H.
This unique and informative set of programs will feature Carlos Gallusser, who is a field representative with the Leader Dogs for the Blind organization.  He will be joined by Manistee County resident,Tom Silverthorn and his German Shepherd Leader Dog, Ranger, to talk about his experiences with the program. There will also be members of Manistee County Lions Clubs and 4-H Companion Animal Committee members there to help as well.
Those two will be visiting various elementary schools in the next several days along with a public meeting on Wednesday evening.  That public meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Kaleva Lions Den, and those wanting to learn more about the program are invited to attend.
“What we got going this week is Wednesday and Thursday we will be doing presentations for at Trinity Lutheran, Bear Lake, Manistee Catholic, and CASMAN Alternative Academy,” said Silverthorn. “We will be explaining the function of the dogs to the kids, and what the white cane law is all about.”
At the end of the presentation, the students and teachers will be given handouts that provide them with more information about the Leader Dog programs.
Michigan’s Leader Dog School In Rochester was founded in 1939. Since that time, thousands of animals have went through the program, and on to careers helping those who are sight impaired. Silverthorn has vision straight ahead, but lacks peripheral vision, and he said that the addition of Ranger has really improved his life. They have been paired together since 2003, and Silverthorn said he can’t imagine being without his Leader Dog.
“I don’t know how I got along without him before, as he is something else,” said Silverthorn. “He knows right where to go, and I would be lost without him.”
Silverthorn said that what the children learn about Leader Dogs and helping people with white canes in the school presentations is very valuable. He said the kids are the ones that often educate their parents about proper procedure.
“There are many times I come upon people in a store, and they will want to pet Ranger, but their child will pull their hand back and say, ‘no, he is working’,” said Silverthorn. “People just don’t understand it, as they want to help, but they often end up dragging us across the street instead of helping.”
The presentation Silverthorn and Gallusser will be giving details the proper procedure people should follow when they approach a blind person, and proper ways they can provide assistance.
“We will go through a little explanation of sighting guide, and how to work with them,” said Silverthorn. “What they should be doing is offering an elbow, or having the dog follow them because the dogs are trained to work with the command follow.”
Dogs like Ranger, are taught approximately 27 different commands at training. They are eventually taught what is termed “intelligent disobedience,” which means they if the owner’s command will put them in danger they will not obey it. Leader Dogs are taught in those instances to make an intelligent decision and disobey the owner.
About 75 percent of the Leader Dogs that enter the training complete the course. The average cost is $35,000 per dog in training costs, but the person receiving the dog does not have to pay anything.  They generally are paired with their owner for between 8 and 12 years.
Something that all dogs must do is constantly keep up on their training. That means the owner must put the dog through a series of exercises every day, to keep them sharp. However, it is a relationship that provides invaluable assistance to the blind person.
Those who want to learn more about the program are urged to attend the 7 p.m. community meeting at Kaleva Lions’ Den.