Guide dogs in training get an education on the streets of Los Altos

By Carol Tiegs

Published on 01/12/1998

Town Crier Staff Writer

Fender and Bonnie Finsthwait turn heads as the stroll through the streets and shops of Los Altos, winning admiring smiles and friendly comments.

Fender, a 1-year-old German shepherd, always appears in his clean, green working vest and exhibits impeccable manners. He's a guide dog in training, the sixth puppy Finsthwait has trained through Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael.

Finsthwait's responsibilities as a puppy trainer include teaching Fender the obedience and socialization skills, and basic commands he will need to be trained as a guide dog. That means walks through Los Altos, visits to local stores and trips on every type of public transportation.

"I need to expose him to as many situations as possible," Finsthwait said. That includes familiarizing Fender with heavy machinery, vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers as well as the meat counter at Safeway. "Most places in Los Altos are glad to have us come through," she said.

Fender's October training adventure was a plane trip to Denver, where Finsthwait attended a conference.

"American Airlines allowed him to be at my feet in the cabin," she said. He stayed in the hotel, went to meals and meetings, took train and bus trips. He was a wonderful ambassador."

Finsthwait, a Los Altos Hills resident, is in her 16th year with Guide Dogs for the Blind. She first began working with guide dogs as a teen-ager in Morristown, N.J.

"I lived next door to Morris Frank, a blind person who trained his own dogs to lead him," she said. "He was instrumental in getting Congress to enact legislation guide dogs in all public buildings. I raised four black Labradors for (Morris' organization) between the ages of 12-16."

Finsthwait is one of three leaders of the local guide dogs training group that meets in Redwood City. She does home visits with prospective puppy raisers and trains people to work with their puppies.

The training group meets twice a month, often taking field trips to familiarize puppies with both city life and nature. Trips include riding BART to San Francisco, then taking a cable car to Pier 39 where puppies learn about crowds, smells, seals and sea lions. One trainer, a United Airlines pilot, arranges regular visits to San Francisco International Airport, where the dogs learn about airplanes.

Children age 10 and older can be puppy trainers, Finsthwait said, and trainers can live in apartments as well as homes. Previous experience with dogs is not a must, but it helps, she said.

If you're thinking of being a puppy trainer, ask whether you have time to work with a puppy, she said. "It's time-intensive," Finsthwait said. "The dog is with you constantly."

Like many trainers, Finsthwait takes her guide dog-in-training to work with her. Young puppy trainers take their dogs to school, she said.

"You should have a real love for animals," she said.

Also important is being able to afford the dog food. Guide Dogs for the Blind pays $200 annually for each dog's veterinary expenses, and the training group handles vaccinations.

Ask too if you can bear to part with your puppy at the end of 16 months when they go back to San Rafael for training.

"Giving them up is very hard," Finsthwait said. "You get very attached. You have to keep in mind that you're fostering the dog - he's going off to college."

Puppy trainers come to Guide Dogs' San Rafael campus for their dog's graduation and they present their dog to the blind person who will be the dog's owner. "It's very heartwarming," Finsthwait said. "Graduations are always very emotional."

There is a waiting list of homes for retired guide dogs and those who are "career changed" - not placed as guide dogs, usually due to hip dysphasia or other physical conditions, Finsthwait said.

Finsthwait said she is available to talk with people interested in the program. Call her at 941-5754 or call Guide Dogs for the Blind at (800) 295-4050.