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Our 14,000th Graduate!
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Randy Cook and Leader Dog Solomon
- Published in: Update - Issue 2 - 2010
- Listen to Article
Photo caption: Leader Dog Apprentice Instructor Kevin Thompson works with Randy and Solomon on the streets of Rochester
When Randy Cook traveled to Michigan recently to receive his third Leader Dog, a black lab named Solomon, he had two surprises waiting for him: a Breeze GPS unit and the distinction of being the 14,000th graduate.
After more than 20 years of having a Leader Dog by his side, Randy was excited to receive the Breeze, a hand-held GPS unit that enhances dog guide travel. “I love it,” Randy said. “It’s easy to use. Technology has changed a lot of lives and really helped people with disabilities.” He expects the Breeze will be especially helpful to him in his work as a rehabilitation teacher for the Illinois Department of Human Services. His job requires him to travel to the homes of his blind students, where he teaches them independent living skills.
Randy received his first Leader Dog in 1989, a black lab named Shadow. Young and skeptical, and already very comfortable with his cane skills, he wasn’t sure what having a dog could add to his life. Then the day came when a semi-truck was bearing down on him and Shadow instinctively jumped in front of him, knocking him to the ground and out of harm’s way. “That made me a believer,” he laughed.
Randy recently had to retire his second dog, a yellow lab named Jensen, after he developed hip dysplasia. Jensen will now enjoy the easy life of a much-loved pet, with Randy giving him the best of care. “He took care of me for years,” he said. “And now I will take care of him until the last wag.”
He anticipates it will take about six months to form the solid partnership with Solomon that he enjoyed with his two previous dogs. But there’s one thing that the once skeptical Randy knows for sure, “I couldn’t imagine my life without him.”