HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1973-03-29, Page 11Inca is Frank's eyes and ears in traffic
PICK- UP
YOUR PICKUP
WHILE OUR SELECTION IS STILL GOOD
We Have Been Selling New Pickups From
Our Huge Stock Like Never Before
We have been fortunate in having new trucks arriving for stock as quickly
as they have been sold.
STILL 12 TO CHOOSE FROM 6 MORE ON NEIN WAY
PLAIN TRUCKS - DRESSED-UP TRUCKS - EXTRA FANCY TRUCKS
Lots With Power Steering etc.
WE URGENTLY NEED 'ItATEI-INSD4TUTCHICESOERIlitAt ilFUL GMC's
SPECIAL FINANCING
Low, low 1AC Financing available with special
reasonable Farmer's Repayment Plans,
NO NEED TO WAIT
Three to four months far your new truck. You
bare the used unit we need and we have the
new unit you need.
McGEE'S GODERICH
GMC PONTIAC - BUICK - CADILLAC
Hamilton St, 524,-8391
A dog is Frank's best eyes
Piiiiiiitti Limsv—esq9 IMAMS
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Mi. PER BALE
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BALER TWINE
Spot Cash Carry
Off The Dock To You
Because of the expected demand at this low price we must
reserve the right to limit the quantity sold to any one customer
• 100% PURE SISALANA FIBRE
• 300 lbs, AVERAGE TENSILE STRENGTH
• 10,000 ft. 40 lbs. per BALE
• AVERAGE KNOT STRENGTH 135 lbs.
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11011/MeMoill
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BRUCEFIELD HENSALL ZURICH
482-9828 262-2608 286-4898
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Albert St. Ciirston
.CLINTON NgW7S-13,CORD, .THIMSDAY, MAKU 20 973 1
County's first seeing eye dog proves worth
Ilka, a one-and-a -half-year-
old German Shepherd is more
than a pet to Frank Mayers of
150 Mary Street, Clinton, she's
Frank's eyes and ears. Although
there are about 40 blind people
in Huron county, Ilka is the
only seeing eye dog.
Now in his early 50's Mr.
Mayers has been blind for 20
years but he has had Ilka only
about two months,
, Through the Canadian
National Institute for the
Blind, and with the help of Dr.
A.J. Mowatt, Minister of
Wesley-Willis United Church,
Mr. Mayers applied to Seeing
Eye Incorporated, Morriston,
New Jersey, Dr. A. J, Mowatt, a
.member of CNII3's Huron-
Perth Advisory Board ex,
plained the selection process,
..He said that the applicants are
ehosen on the basis of their
need for the dog, Also taken
into consideration are the age
and health of the applicants.
Those chosen are usually no
older than 50 because they
can't react quickly enough to
the dog's movements. To really
warrant the use of a dog, the
blind applicants must be
unable to distinguish light and
dark, Those chosen for the
course must be willing to go to
Morriston, New Jersey for the
three.week course.
The CNIB, through private
and company donations have.
an arrangement with. Seeing
Jaye Incorp. to supply dogs to
the blind in Canada,
The Seeing Eye Twerp, was
founded in 1929 in Morriston
and was the first to establish a
training program for guide
dogs. Since then several other
companies have trained dogs to
guide the blind,
The dogs, long ,and short
haired german shepherd and
labradors, are generally bred at
'the kennels in Morriston
although some suitable
donated dogs are also trained,
The dogs are chosen on the
basis of their size and in-
telligence,
_For about a year, the dogs
board with a 4-H family to
become accustomed to living
with people. Following that
period, the dogs are picked up
to begin a three-month training
session before they are assigned
to a blind person.
On November 18, Mr. Mayers
flew to Morriston, the Seeing.
Incorporated school. That same
day the training program
began,
For the first couple of days
the trainer familiarized the
students with the program And
how to cowhand the dogs.
Evenings at the school were
generally reserved for films and
lectures for the students.
Both the dogs and the
students were given on-the -job
training to adjust them to the
problems they would encounter
on the streets and in the coun-
try.
After two days, the dogs were
assigned to the students,
"When the dogs were assigned
it was quite an exciting
moment", said Mr. Mayers. He
was told that his dog was a
brown and tan long haired ger-
man shepherd named Ilka. "We
made friends quite rapidly",
Mr. Mayers said, " now she's
with me all the time",
Ilka is never more than a few
feet from her master, at night
she sleeps on a mat beside his
bed.
The training program with
the dogs is a strenuous one, get-
ting up at about 6:30 in the
morning. After taking the dogs
outside, breakfast is served.
their seats and then quietly lay
under the tables. "Although
there were some 75 dogs in the
room'', Mr. Mayers said,' you'd
never know there was a dog in
the room, there was never a
growl".
Each day of training in-
cluded two trips into Morriston
where clogs would learn to lead
their masters, and to follow
their masters' commands,
Although the dogs were
trained in a real situation en-
vironment, both Ilka and Mr,
Mayers found it a problem to
adjust to Clinton weather.
"New Jersey has very little
snow so Ilka had a little
trouble finding the sidewalks at
first", Mr. Mayers said,
Ilka is trained to obey com-
mands of forward, left, right,
hup-hup (move faster) as well
as sit, lie down and fetch. When
she makes a mistake Mr.
Mayers quickly corrects her by
giving her chain a sharp jerk
which does not hurt her, only
startles her for a moment, In
addition to this little jerk, he
Story by
Lee Allison
photos by
Jim Fitzgerald
The clogs led their masters to
says "phooey" then she knows
she has done something wrong.
The seeing eye is by no
means a crutch to the blind,
but serves as a safety
precaution to help the blind get
around safely. Ilka follows her
command and keeps an eye
open for anything that would
he dangerous to her master.She
watches for holes, rough
pavement, curbs and makes
sure there is enough head room
for her master.
The dogs are trained to be
obedient, hut they are also
taught intelligent disobedience,
—Whett"Instructed` to. erosA the
road, Ilka will not proceed un-
til the way is clear,
With the help of Dr, Mowatt
and the CNIB, Mr. Mayers was
able to go to Morriston for the
training period. There is no
cost for plane fare, board, and
training at the school.Students
are only required to pay $150
for the dog. When compared to
the total cost of $4,500, it is
only a small portion of the cost.
Most of the costs are absorbed
through donations, and sub-
scriptions in the United States,
and some from Canada. The
CNIB acts as a liaison for the
blind in Canada and the Seeing
Eye Incorp. and also acts as a
check to insure that the dogs
are being properly cared for.
Mr. Mayers said that the CNIB
keeps in touch with him on a
regular basis to see how he and
Ilka are getting along.
Mr. Mayers, originally from
Hamilton, worked for Essex
Packers for 23 years until he
was forced to retire because of
a health problem. Now that he
has recovered, he is looking for
work. He was previously em-
ployed as a second-class
stationary engineer, but he is
also a refrigerator and aircon-
ditioning engineer.
During the war, Mr. Mayers
was stationed at Vanastra (for-
mer CHI Clinton) from 1943 to
1945. He returned to Clinton
last May with his wife Evelyn,
to the home they had
previously used as a cottage.
Mr, Mayers is presently in the
process of redecorating and
fixing up the house.
We've done a lot of work, but
we still have quite a bit to do",
he said,
With Ilka as an added at-
traction, Mr. Mayers has
already become a celebrity, He
appeared on the popular "Sing
Time Show", Channel 8,
Wingham recently and Dr.
Mowatt hopes that Mr. Mayers
will do some more speaking
engagementS in the future.
S NOW! SIM ON CARPETING
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