My oldest son, Reid, took ownership of his first dog earlier this week. Jackson came to us from Southeastern Guide Dogs out of Palmetto, FL. He is a 1.5 year old Goldador (Golden Retriever / Lab) and was bred and trained out of their school. Jackson is not quite a full-fledged guide dog as they pulled him a little early from training after some minor indications of elbow dysplasia showed up on his medical report. However, the school uses dogs who don't finish the program to still be placed in homes with young visually impaired children as young as 5. They do this to help young kids get used to owning and caring for a dog and to get them ready for a guide dog once they're teenagers. These dogs also offer companionship as a lot of kids with severe impairment can live life feeling isolated and sometimes struggle to develop close friends.
I think I've made a few comments before here about my son, but he was born legally blind with a condition called Leber's Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) and has always had limited central vision and some issues with peripheral. He found out about this program through Southeastern himself while listening to a podcast and immediately wanted to apply. If you flashback two years ago, he was deathly afraid of dogs and wanted no part of them since he struggled to track them while they played around. However, after he got his white cane and started learning about guide dogs for mobility, he set his mind to overcome his fears and on his own forced himself to start warming up to dogs. He knew one day he would want a guide dog and it's been an amazing turnaround to see him make a determined effort to become more comfortable around dogs and animals in general.
Jackson is the most well-mannered dog I have ever been around. Just incredible around the house and a gentle calmness around all three of my kids. They told us he would likely make a quick connection with Reid and that has been the case. On the leash or off he is patient, calm and reassuring to Reid. It has been very special to watch for my wife and me. Reid will likely deal with full vision loss at some point in his life and with the aggressive form of his condition that could come much sooner than later, however, he bears the burden so well and displays a full confidence to us and to those around him. He's had to handle a lot of stress in his short 5.5 years on Earth, but God has been faithful and kind to our family and He's led us through some rough points and helped us to manage the day to day struggles much better. We're excited to see how a little part of God's creation, like a dog, can be used to bring comfort and confidence to Reid.
Southeastern has some really cool programs if any of you guys are interested in reading about them. https://dogsinc.org/
I think I've made a few comments before here about my son, but he was born legally blind with a condition called Leber's Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) and has always had limited central vision and some issues with peripheral. He found out about this program through Southeastern himself while listening to a podcast and immediately wanted to apply. If you flashback two years ago, he was deathly afraid of dogs and wanted no part of them since he struggled to track them while they played around. However, after he got his white cane and started learning about guide dogs for mobility, he set his mind to overcome his fears and on his own forced himself to start warming up to dogs. He knew one day he would want a guide dog and it's been an amazing turnaround to see him make a determined effort to become more comfortable around dogs and animals in general.
Jackson is the most well-mannered dog I have ever been around. Just incredible around the house and a gentle calmness around all three of my kids. They told us he would likely make a quick connection with Reid and that has been the case. On the leash or off he is patient, calm and reassuring to Reid. It has been very special to watch for my wife and me. Reid will likely deal with full vision loss at some point in his life and with the aggressive form of his condition that could come much sooner than later, however, he bears the burden so well and displays a full confidence to us and to those around him. He's had to handle a lot of stress in his short 5.5 years on Earth, but God has been faithful and kind to our family and He's led us through some rough points and helped us to manage the day to day struggles much better. We're excited to see how a little part of God's creation, like a dog, can be used to bring comfort and confidence to Reid.
Southeastern has some really cool programs if any of you guys are interested in reading about them. https://dogsinc.org/
