Christina: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Taking the Lead podcast where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Christina Hapner with my co-host, Leslie Hoskins and Timothy Kyo, and today we have a little bit of a shorter episode, but I have to update you guys a little bit on my. Dog life because I now have two dogs.
Leslie: Tell us, wow.
How'd that
Christina: happen? Um, so I decided to foster a dog 'cause it looked just like Duke. Um, and they got it from a kill shelter in Tennessee, I believe it was. Um, and this, this rescue brings these dogs up and puts them in foster homes. And I signed up to be one of those foster homes. Um, and then you foster failed And then we failed.
And I will say I was fully prepared to give her away to another other family that would love her. Um, but Johnny's heartstrings were
Leslie: I. [00:01:00] I, you can't blame the whole thing on Jo. Like nobody's falling for that Johnny fault. Yeah. Timothy, nobody's falling for that, right? Well, I did. I do.
Christina: I, I like her. But Duke's swing, number one, you know.
She's gotten very comfortable and she's a little bit of a wild child. So,
Leslie: well, first off, you have to tell the whole story. You thought she
Christina: was at him? Oh, yeah. So we got the papers and she was so overgrown, like the hair was matted and it was, it was really sad. And the paper work said it was a boy that he was coming up.
And so I thought I had two boy dogs and I kept calling them my little boys and, and then she got groomed. And we found out that it was a girl. And so they contacted that shelter and was like, um, it's a girl. And so I got new paperwork. So I've learned I cannot trust the paperwork. I, I had an inkling that it wasn't a boy, 'cause I was like, [00:02:00] this doesn't seem like a boy dog, but.
The hair and the matted and so overgrown. I was like, I'm not trying to check on my own. So we have a little girl and a little boy. Aw, cute. Cute. They look, she is about half the size of Duke, so they're both terrier mixes. Duke is about 40 pounds. And then she is half his size, about 20 pounds, and a little miniature Duke.
So it's, it's cute. She's very sweet.
Timothy: Well, how do they get along? They, they get
Christina: along very well. Yeah. So they, they've started, so Duke's gonna be 10 in March, which is nuts. So, and she's about, from what her paperwork says, a year and a half, who knows? Um, and so at first, like she would try and play with him, um, and he was just like, eh.
I don't really care. But now that they start to play together, Mm-Hmm. And they always do it in the worst spot. I'm like, let's do this outside. Yeah. But it's nice, they, they lay together, they snuggle together. So, um, I think it was a good time to bring in a [00:03:00] young dog for Duke. 'cause he's getting older. He's now considered a senior dog, which is so wild.
And I got him when he from a rescue at two months old.
Timothy: So.
A senior dog. It's a seven. Really? That's a big question. Yeah. Because Glacier, you know, she just turned six. Oh. And, uh, I, I gotta, you know, start thinking about switching her to senior dog food and I don't know when exactly to do that with Glacier.
Leslie: Yeah, that's a great question. Definitely something to call, uh, the vet team in ask.
Yeah.
Christina: But Tim, I mean, she's six. When was the last time you were at Leader Dog? When did you get her? What year was that again? I. It was
Timothy: 2000 and, oh gosh, 19. Oh wow. Just before covid hit. Yeah. 2019.
Christina: Yeah. Well, let's chat about a bit about your journey. 'cause I'm sure there's a lot of people who are considering getting a [00:04:00] guide dog or coming to Leader Dog for any of our programs.
So, you know, we haven't touched on your journey in a while. Let's just chat about where you're at now and how that relationship with Glacier has transformed and how, what you're doing now from what you were doing, you know, back in 2019.
Timothy: Well, 2019 was the big year. That's when I came up and met Leslie for my ONM in March.
And then, uh, while I was there I decided to get a guide dog. And, um, since then, uh, it's been a whirlwind. Going from somebody like me who used sitting on the couch being depressed and now traveling all over the country. Sometimes mostly by myself. It, it's empowering what I've been through and it's because of what I've learned and got the independent skills from Leader Dog to do that.
Yeah. And uh, it's just great. It's great and crazy.
Christina: That's amazing. Um, let's touch a little bit about. O and m and what o and m is. Leslie, if you wanna kind of explain what you went through with Timothy for anyone [00:05:00] who's considering that program. Uh,
Leslie: a what a week with Timothy. I
Timothy: shoulda.
Leslie: A week of orientation. Mobility is such a good experience. It's an opportunity to really focus on those cane skills. Orientation being where are you, where you're going, how to get there, and then of course, the mobility piece of getting from point A to point B safely, so maneuvering the environment safely.
So Timothy, I think you can explain our week the best, but we really do focus on independent travel and meeting the client at their skill level and what goals they wanna focus on. So we spend a lot of time working with the cane, getting comfortable, basic cane technique, and then slowly progressing to more complex skills and environments.
But Timothy, what are some of your highlights? Obviously, other than just like hanging out with me, you know.
Timothy: Uh, when I first got there, [00:06:00] I, I questioned the whole thing. Of course, you know, how's this gonna work? And, and, uh, like you said, we start off small and we work our way out. I mean, somebody like me who couldn't see in the dark ever in their life, and by the end of the week, I was able to walk into the dark by myself.
Around the, you know, downtown Rochester Hills, Michigan was empowering. Uh, I got emotional 'cause I've never been able to do that by myself. And so, I mean, you took somebody who was like a, you know, a clay, a jar of clay and, and. Leslie kind of formed me with her hands, basically with her skills. She teach me what to do and I, I am here where I am today because of Leslie's, beginning of Leslie's training.
You
Leslie: are too kind Timothy, as a team effort, you put in way more work. What's so interesting about teaching o and m sometimes is that, you know, we'll be walking with a client around the streets or wherever and people come up to us and say, oh my God, you know the work you do. Thank you so much for [00:07:00] everything you do.
And you know, as an o and m specialist, I. It's really hard to understand that because Right, we're not doing any of the work. Yes, we're helping somebody, but our clients who are out there like yourself, Timothy, putting in the work, taking risks, being, you know, vulnerable. You're the ones putting in the risks.
And it a lot of times feels like as an own own specialist, we're just doing these minor little things. Um, but they have such a big impact and so it's, it's a fantastic career. It's very rewarding. But by all means, the clients are the ones putting in the most effort and and dedication, and we just are appreciative, especially of our clients that come to Leader Dog.
You know, nobody has to come to Leader Dog. So everybody who does come is already self-motivated. And we're really fortunate to work with people who already have such high goals for themselves and want to be independent travelers.
Timothy: Well being somebody that was like me in my life where it seemed like everywhere I turned, I was getting slammed.[00:08:00]
Face and didn't find out about Leader Dog. It was just wow. And I was so grateful for the opportunity and glad that there, there was an organization out there that really cared about me and wanted me to come up and, and invest in me and, and, uh, I could never repay back what Leader Dog has done for me over the past six years.
So I wanna thank Leader Dog for that. Timothy,
Leslie: we've gotten our money's worth outta you. Are you kidding me? You're now like our huge spokesperson for us. I mean, we will never be able to repay you for the work that you do, sharing your experience. Yeah, because our number one referral source is still like word of mouth.
Yeah. Hearing from another leader, dog client or graduate or um, you know, somebody who's experienced it is the best way for us to recruit anybody to our mission. So yeah. We are so appreciative of you and all the things that you are doing.
Christina: Yes, and Leslie and I were about to start to say the same thing at the same time.
Um, but yeah, Timothy, [00:09:00] I, I have people all the time going, does Timothy travel? Do you think he do this? So Timothy, I mean, the amount of things you've done for us since, you know, I've met you, I'm sure you've done more. Before I met you is incredible, and we talked about your o and m orientation, mobility, the weight can training experience you had on campus.
Now let's talk a little bit about when you got Glacier and how that has transformed to now, like your relationship with Glacier and you know how she and you work together as a team.
Timothy: Well, you know, they always say it takes about a year for you to become a team. And, uh, it's where it's almost scary. I can read, read what she's about to do, and she can read to me what I'm about to do.
It is, it's crazy. Uh, you've been around each other for, you know, that those three weeks at Lead Dog and then you go home and the training and your training doesn't end. Everybody just thinks, you know. No, it, it takes a good [00:10:00] while for you to become a team. So, uh, I remember our first trip alone together was a little nerve wracking, 'cause I think I went to the NFE Convention, that National Federation of the Blind, down in New Orleans, and that was gonna be my first trip with Glacier after Covid.
And I was a little nervous and she worked beautifully that week. I couldn't believe how she took care of me and she did exactly what her job was. And we as a team, we, we, we walked along with New Orleans and it was great. That is so empowering in saying, Hey, we've got this, we're gonna be able to do it, and it, we've, nothing stopped us since and we just keep on going.
Whenever I get a phone call, I need to go somewhere. I go. I don't ever say no, 'cause I know I can do it With Glacier, I know where I am now with her and, uh, I, I know she's getting older now and I'm starting to worry about. You know, she's six years old and I, how many more years I got of her? I don't know.
And [00:11:00] I'm hoping every day that she's gonna get up and wanna go work. And trust me, when she gets about six, seven years old, it's in the back of your mind that her days are starting to get numbered and. That's a scary
Leslie: thought. Absolutely. You guys have built such a great bond. You've done so much together, and I appreciate you being so vulnerable and sharing your experience, and it's been wonderful.
And it is one of those things where you, you don't really know how long, uh, your guide dog will work, but you and Glacier, I think have some really good years left in Inya, both of you, uh, as a team, but also you brought up a great point of that work does not stop, right? You go home after being on campus or receiving in-home.
Um, guide dog training, whatever it is, and then the work really begins. It's the two of you together conquering the world. And it does take about a year to become a good team. And, and even so now I'm sure you find yourself in situations where, you know, you two have to problem solve together or rework it, a situation or environment, um, to make [00:12:00] sure that you can continue traveling together as a
Christina: pair.
Timothy: Yeah, I mean, we don't go to the airport every day. So like I tell everybody, I sometimes when I haven't flown her in quite a while, I go to the to the mall and try to get her situated back into being around a crowd, the noises and smells and stuff like that. So every day's different. And so there might be some things that she needs to be worked back on because we haven't been to the airport in three or four months.
And, um, trust me, she still makes mistakes. So do I. So, uh, we just go on and we just move on to the next, our next, uh, adventure. That's all we do. And just keep on trucking. That's all you gotta do. Just keep
Leslie: on trucking. That's right. Well, here's on to the next adventure. Uh, thank you so much Timothy for sharing a little bit about your journey so far with Leader Dog.
For anybody who hadn't heard your story and while that was just a brief little intro into it, as you've accomplished so much, we certainly appreciate
Christina: it.
Timothy: I appreciate the opportunities, and again, I thank all the, uh, donors and all the volunteers [00:13:00] and everybody who's attached to Leader Dog. I can never repay, like I always say that, and it just amazes me where I am now or than where I was seven years ago.
I. I'm thankful for
Leslie: it every day. Thank you, Timothy. We appreciate you and thank you so much to our listeners for listening to this shorter episode of Taking the Lead podcast. I'm Leslie Hoskins with host Timothy Kyo and Christina Hepner. We hope you enjoyed today's episode and please join us next time as we continue to dive into the world of blindness.
Christina: And if you'd like to learn more about applying to our free services at Leader Dog, you can head to leader dog.org. Or call us at (888) 777-5332. And don't forget, you can reach us at taking the lead@leaderdog.org with any questions or ideas. If you like today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and check us out wherever Podcast Street.