HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-10-16, Page 18Crossroads—Oct. 16, 1985
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Canine Vision
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A dark-haired, average -looking Although the dog training is most
teenager and a younger child wan.- important, Mr. DePugh said if his
dered into the large, empty school. trainers cannot• co-operate with the.
The teenage girl did not observe the blind they are of no use to Canine
dim light or the white walls the way Vision Canada,
her companion did as they walked in. "I will consider all applications," he
Instead, she heard their footsteps said. "They all may be good people
echoing behind them and familar but 1 have to find exactly what I'm
voices streaming from one of the looking for."
many rooms. The trainers will be expected to
The teenager, Rebecca Sutton, is know everything in the Canine Vision
visually impaired and had come to the Canada Training Manual that Mr.
school,. Canine Vision Canada, on DePugh put together.
several occasions to discover the joy "The course is set up with oral and
and advantages of a guide dog, to gain written tests and job evaluation," he
confidence in dealing with a dog and said.
to decide if the gentle animal was The chapters in the journal cover
what she needed. , subjects such as "The History of the
Met by a volunteer, Lynda Brown, Dog", "Health and Grooming" and
who cares for the dogs, the three "The Oakville Routine".
proceeded to a room where Rebecca Mr. DePugh also wrote a 55 -page
could practise grooming one of the Puppy Manual. "We're always
dogs. • looking for foster homes for the
Canine Vision Canada in Oakville is puppy," he said. "We pay all the
a project of the Lions Foundation of medical costs and Purina supplies all
Canada and was initiated by the club the food."
to fulfill the need in Canada for guide These puppies are given to families
dog service. ' on a short-term basis until the dog is
Begun in 1983, the purpose and ready for training
objective is to train the finest of guide "We also look for homes to take the
dogs with their masters by the best rejected dogs who don't make it
possible method. This means training through the training program," Mr.
the dog on its own for four months and DePugh said.
then bringing the blind person to the Approximately 50 to 65 per cent of
school to train with the dog for a the dogs make it through the training
• further four weeks. process. The school trains basically
To succeed in its objective, the four breeds: German Shepherds,
Lions Foundation of Canada hired a Black Labradors, Yellow Labradors
supervisor of training who has worked and Golden Retrievers. They are
normally trained between the ages of
one and two.
"I've got one Bouvier, in the
program," he said.."They have a bad
reputation but if you breed them right
and raise them right they are really
gentle dogs. "
After the dogs are trained and the
student moves into the school to
participate in the four-week stay,' the
student begins a series of intense
lectures.
"We try to make it as relaxing as
possible," Mr. DePugh said. "I try to
bring out the potential in the students,
They are not in competition with
anyone else in class. They are doing it
for ,themselves . and should take it at
their own pace." . .
Mr. DePugh is doing a lot of work
with the dogs to get them ready for his
first students.
CVC is still under renovation and
the building has obvious potential to •
become a respectable training area.
Several rooms are being changed
into offices and one room will be a
veterinarian's clinic.
"Dogs are in quarantine when they
are brought in," Mr. DePugh said.
"That's the first chance the dog could
go back to its owner." Many dogs are
donated . by peoplewho-feel -their-
Mr. DePugh has a long history of puppies have potential to become
working with dogs. Originally from guide dogs.
Pennsylvania, he completed four Surgery Will also be done by the vet
years of training with Century Dogs at on the premises and a vet will be
the Lackland Air Force Base in an brought in rather than always taking
advanced course in dog training. the dogs to an office away from the
From May, 1966 to 1967, Mr. De Pugh school.
served in Viet Nam. - Canine Vision Canada will, also be
"My job was to track down the breeding dogs at the school shortly.
enemy and alert the base," he said. "I The students who attend the school
was on patrol with the dogs." will have several facilities. A dining
Upon.returning to the United States, room with a kitchen adjoining a
Mr. DePugh spent 16 years with guide lounge and library and dormitories
dogs for the blind in Rochester, Mich., for each student are included in the
until March of 1984. . structure.
He apprenticed there and became a "The dog will stay with the student
trainer. He also attended Oakland for the entire four-week period," Mr.
University for nine years in night DePugh said.
school study to obtain his Bachelor There is also a small apartment in
Degree in Human Resources. the school suitable for a housemother
"I finished my degree by writing or couple to be available during the
Canine Vision Canada Training night and when needed.
M-a-n-u-a1-2--M-r--DePugh said. lfi'he + \' —Sty would have to bein good
manual is 155 pages in length. / health and get along with people," he
"I can counsel in behavioral said. "Possibly a retired nurse, but it
problems, career development and wouldn't be a requirement."
personal problems.," he said. "I The dogs have their own area in the
wanted to better understa.nel the school and it includesa kennel which ,
people I work with so I can'help can house 44 dogs, a bathing room
more." where they are also groomed and a
Mr. DePugh said after the war he kitchen where the food is prepared.
decided he wanted to do something Oakville, out of all the possible
rewarding and he enjoyed working places in Canada, was chosen for the
with dogs. school's location because of the
"I wanted to do something for training potential.
people," he said. "I was tired of war "Oakville itself has city -type travel
and wanted to be constructive instead and residential areas," Mr. DePugh
of destructive." said. "Every possible environment
CVC is definitely constructive work. that a student could possibly get into
Others. too, will have the pleasure of is right here."
sharing in the Lions' endeavor. Toronto is also close which makes it
_By .laniary„ Mr DePugh wou!ddi-14e._ pessi-l*- for-the--dogs-to .be. in ewe',y --.
to graduate 20 dogs with trainers. "I'd situation. Streets, buses, and subways
like to hold the first class in are experiences which the visually
December," he said. impaired have to face when they
This means more people will be return home with their new dogs.
hired to train the dogs for the four- The CVC is unique because it gives
.month_sessions_.._..________________ ...._____.-__i.ts-t-rai d-anim—als-.te-the students -at -
"I'm looking for people who have no charge. The guide dog, round trip
had experience with the blind, who transportation, equipment and four
are bilingual and who are good with weeks room and board are provided
people," he said. "I can teach people for the students.
to train dogs but they have to be good The school is supported entirely by
with people." public contributions.
with dogs for 22 years.
Larry DePugh is whipping . the
former Westwood School in Oakville
on the corner of Rebecca and Kerr
Streets into shape for Nov. 7 when the
first guide dog school of this kind in
Canada will be completed.
"There are a lot of people who didn't
believe there was a need for a school
like this in Canada," Mr. DePugh
said. "If that is the case, why have
auto industries in Canada when they
already have them in the United
States?".
"For those who still don't believe in
the school, I recommend those people
come to Ontario and see it," he said.
"If they still don't believe in it, I'll
schedule them for class and train a
guide dog for them."
At present, Mr. DePugh is training .
dogs in people's homes and travelling
in Canada to work with blind people
until the renovations at the school are
completed. He usually spends three
clays to 'a week in students' homes
because they have had dogs of their
own before.
There are nine dogs from CVC
trained with their masters and in
homes in Port Perry, Kitchener,
Waterloo, Montreal, Toronto, Mount
Forest and three in Scarborough. _ _ . .
_CAN N.E-VISLO11L..CA.NA-DA—an- outside--lo'ok.--
GROOMING RELIANCE—Rebecca Sutton, a potential
student, on left, learns how to groom Reliance from
Lynda Brown, a volunteer for the summer at Canine
Vision Canada.
PEEKING OUT—This Golden Retriever, Dudley,
seems content in his kennel.
BUSINESS CALL—Larry DePugh, supervisor of train-
ing, answers one of many calls he receives during
the day.
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