Dogs quickly become part of the family in many homes, but for the past 50 years, dogs have provided Mickey Puddicomb with her independence, pride and dignity.
While dogs quickly become part of the family in many homes, they have also provided Mickey Puddicomb with her independence, pride and dignity for the past five decades.
On Tuesday, the Chatham woman, who was visually impaired as a child before losing her sight in her teens, will mark 50 years of having a leader dog.
From Katie, the first dog she was matched with after her in 1972 graduation from the Leader Dog School for the Blind in Rochester, Mich., to Ace, her seventh leader dog, “Every single one of them have had their own personality,” Puddicomb said.
She’s also quick to point out she has never had a favourite.
“I love each one of my dogs because they all have a unique talent,” she said.
Speaking of unique talent, Puddicomb said her present leader dog, Ace, has learned how to help her cope with her recent significant hearing loss.
Since being paired with the pup in 2017, Ace – the only leader dog she had trained in her home – has learned how to let Puddicomb know if the phone or doorbell rings, or if someone on the street calls her name.
“That is something that is pretty amazing,” she said.
Puddicomb is the first Canadian student of the Rochester school to spend 50 years with a leader dog.
She said she remembered a feeling of anxiety when she arrived at the Leader Dog School for the Blind for the first time, wondering “would I be a good dog handler and the fear of getting lost.”
She also knew, however, she could no longer live a life of feeling lost, insecure and dependent on others.
“I have to get a new life. I’m a prisoner of darkness and I need a new pair of eyes.”
Puddicomb soon realized she needed to have faith the trainer would choose the right dog for her. She arrived at the school on Sunday but wasn’t matched with Katie until Wednesday.
She said their first walk together was very short. They only approached a curb, with the trainer beside them.
Puddicomb remembered Katie stopping, so she slid her foot forward and felt that curb: “My dog just stopped at a curb. ‘Wow, this is so cool.’”
The second day, Puddicomb and Katie begin walking on their own. The trainer told Puddicomb to find the bus.
“I said, ‘I can’t see the bus,’ and he said, ‘Tell Katie to find the bus,’” she said. “Reluctantly, I said, ‘Katie, find the bus.’”
Katie started to turn, Puddicomb recalled, but she told the dog to go straight. That’s when the trainer intervened, saying “You ask her to find the bus. Go follow her.”
She followed Katie until the dog stopped. Puddicomb put out her hand and felt the side of the bus.
“I went to my knees and I hugged her, and that’s when I knew I had a new pair of eyes with paws and a wagging tail. I was going to be in good hands.”
While the school provided a safe environment, Puddicomb knew things would be different when she arrived back home in Chatham and the duo entered the real word.
She described turning the doorknob to leave the school as being “the door of opportunity.”
“Because it is up to you, the graduate, what you do with that door of opportunity when you get home,” Puddicomb said.
Some graduates, she added, don’t go as far and still rely on family and friends to do a lot of things for them.
“When I got home, I was determined to be able to go out for my walk around the block. . . and then go a little further and a little further.”
Puddicomb went on to further her education through courses with the Bradford Exchange, as well as work and volunteer.
About six months after arriving home, she was interviewed for a story that was published in the Chatham Daily News and Windsor Star, which led to a registered nurse calling to ask her to speak to a group in training.
Afterwards, she began getting regular calls from Brownies, Scouts, schools and other community groups.
“Again, the door of opportunity opened,” she said.
Visiting groups with her leader dog – especially youth groups – has produced some amusing and memorable moments.
“I remember going to a school and one little girl was very determined when she stated: ‘My cat will make a lot better leader cat than your dog. My cat is much smarter than your dog.’”
Puddicomb invited the girl to the front of the class and then explained why a dog is more appropriate for the job. She pointed out dogs are taller than cats, which makes it easier to use the harness, so people don’t have to bend over.
She said the whole class sent a thank you card, and the girl drew a picture of her cat wearing a harness.
Puddicomb is celebrating her 50-year milestone by inviting small groups of people to her home this week for low-key gatherings since COVID-19 interfered with her original plan to have a large party.
Her leading dogs over the years were Katie (1972-82), Samson (1982-84), Charlie (1984-93), Luke (1993-94), Snickers (1994-2004), Emerson (2004-2016) and Ace .
Puddicomb said dogs are like humans, since some of them live longer than others, but losing them has always been devastating.
“It’s like losing an extension of oneself and losing your vision all over again.”
But having her leader dogs has enabled her to be independent and confident with her mobility skills, along with a sense of pride and dignity she would have never known otherwise, she said.
“The experience of what my dogs opened for me cannot be described in a dictionary,” Puddicomb said.