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Alan Gunzburg and "Fia"

“Three years ago, I stopped walking off my street because I was frightened.”

Alan Gunzburg’s words reflect the feelings of many people with visual disabilities. As eyesight diminishes, the world often closes in and relegates those who cannot see to the safety of their homes. It was especially hard for Alan because in his previous career with Xerox, he was a road warrior. “I traveled an awful lot,” Alan said. “I was on a plane all the time. My apartment was a place where my clothes lived.”

So, as Alan’s eyesight failed, he fought back and summoned the courage to ask Fidelco to help him recover his freedom and independence. Our response was to provide him with “Fia,” his wonderful Fidelco guide dog and to use our In-community Placement process to train him to work with Fia in his hometown. She proved to be the motivation that Alan needed to help him get out of his house, down his street and back into the world. And as Alan’s confidence grew, so did his desire to get back on the road.

“Fia and I have taken day trips to New York City by ourselves and with my wife and daughters,” Alan said. “But I was looking for an opportunity to travel on my own and bring my whole experience full circle.” His chance came in the form of a conference on hereditary retinal diseases to be held in Virginia.

“I took a deep breath and signed up for the conference. That’s a big deal by the way, because not only are you going out on your own, you’re packing for two. How much dog food should I take; how many poop scoopers? I’m the kind of guy who makes lists and these are the things you think of when you travel with a guide dog.”

Alan and Fia left Connecticut on a Thursday and took Amtrak’s high-speed train to Washington, D.C. He then traveled by cab to his hotel in northern Virginia. “When I got to the hotel, there were about 30 or 40 other guide dogs there and a bunch of people with visual disabilities,” he recalled. “But the hotel was prepared for us and everything was great.” Almost.

Alan says that the first time he and Fia went to his room, he remembered his Fidelco training and found landmarks that he would need to help him get to his room later on. “However, the second time we got off the elevator, I told her ‘Fia right’ and she wouldn’t go. She knew our room was the other way. I tried to coax her to go right and then I remembered Fidelco’s primary instruction; ‘Trust the dog.’ So, I simply told Fia to ‘find home’ and she took me right to our room. She was simply amazing.”

The rest of the conference went smoothly. Alan spent three days learning a great deal and being with friends he had not seen in several years. And at the end of the conference, he came away with greater knowledge and more confidence about himself and his guide dog.

“I learned that my guide dog is prepared and ready to put on her harness and work for nine or ten hours. It’s not a problem. I also know that whether it’s on a train or in a cab or in a hotel, that Fia and I can count on the training we received from Fidelco. And most importantly, I learned that I can travel again; anytime, anywhere. I have no limits, I have no boundaries.”

Amy Bower and “Winslow” Amy Bower and “Winslow”

“It’s going great,” said Amy Bower when asked about how Winslow, her new Fidelco guide dog, was fitting into her life. “My family and I have a very busy life and he is a positive change. I’m really happy.”

“Busy” is an understatement. As a senior scientist in physical oceanography with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, she works long days with her team and occasionally goes to sea on one of the institution’s research vessels. When we spoke, Amy had just returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia. “I had to get back for Fidelco,” she laughed.

Amy has retinitis pigmentosa and it had gotten to the point where she needed assistance getting around. For an independent person like Amy, a cane would no longer meet her needs. And, as a mother and wife, the demands of having a family dictated that she look for mobility alternatives. A research scientist through and through, Amy did her homework and after hearing about Fidelco from board member Lillian Johnson, quickly realized that our customized In-community Placement process and reputation for client follow-up was exactly what she was looking for. She also liked Fidelco’s John Byfield.

“John was great in helping to fit the guide dog ‘thing’ into my life,” she said. “He gave me advice on how to use Winslow to full advantage and how to simultaneously manage a little girl, a career and a husband. It was ideal and it made all the difference.”

As for Amy’s trips to sea, she says that Winslow will stay home with the family. “A ship is a confined space and once I’ve gone up and down the ladders a few times, I pretty much know how to get around.” But when her ship returns to Woods Hole, everyone, including Winslow, is there to greet her. “We’re in a nice routine,” she says. “And it’s wonderful.”

Ray Collins and "Spencer" - On the Inside Helping Others

It was Memorial Day weekend of 2007. Ray Collins and Spencer, his new Fidelco guide dog, were training with John Byfield, Fidelco's senior placement specialist, in Ray's hometown of Plymouth, Massachusetts. As the team walked downtown, Ray realized that he and Spencer were in the middle of the town's Memorial Day parade. He was none too pleased; but John, being the consummate professional, merely looked upon the festivities as a one-of-a-kind training exercise. Today, Ray laughs about his unconventional first day of training with Spencer.

But things weren't always this upbeat. In 1986, a car crash took Ray's sight forever. Not wanting to spend the rest of his life in an easy chair, he attended the Carroll Center in Boston for orientation and mobility training.

He learned to use a cane but as he says, "For me, a cane is like a 1969 Volkswagen beetle. A guide dog is like a 2008 Cadillac Escalade, fully loaded. There's no comparison." He should know; he has had four Fidelco guide dogs.

Each weekday, Ray and Spencer walk two or three miles through the Plymouth County Correctional Center where Ray is a case worker. "I love it," Ray says. "I work 40 hours a week and Spencer is beside me working at least 10 hours a day, including my commute. That's why when I get home, the harness is off, the dog is fed and we both kick back."

Ray firmly believes that the Fidelco difference is the care that the organization shows for the team; not just the dog, not just the person, but the team. He also says, "I love Robbie (Kaman) to death. She's an incredible woman. And John Byfield is the best. Even if he did walk me right smack dab into the middle of a Memorial Day parade."

Monica Wilkens and "Rembrandt" Monica Wilkens and “Rembrandt”

Monica Wilkens’ voice cracked with emotion. “I just want to say thank you so much for Rembrandt. She is beautiful, she is brilliant. This is the greatest thing ever. I can’t thank you enough.”

Monica’s enthusiasm is inspiring, especially when you consider all she has endured. A brittle diabetic, Monica was mugged at a local ATM and afraid and unable to travel far from home to get a guide dog. At her wits’ end, she discovered Fidelco, applied for a guide dog and we quickly matched her with Rembrandt; “the greatest thing ever.”

But that’s hardly the end of the story. During a follow-up visit by Jason Stankoski, a Fidelco trainer/instructor, Monica got one of the most important telephone calls of her life. “I was so fortunate to have Jason with me when my cell phone rang. It was my doctor who told me that he wanted me admitted into the hospital in two hours. My kidney transplant had been scheduled!” The timing could not have been better. Rather than have to find someone to take her dog on very short notice, Jason told Monica not to worry; that Fidelco would take Rembrandt back to New England until she was ready for him again.

Rembrandt returned to live with Don and Rita Hannigan, his foster family, until Thanksgiving. Rebecca Cook, a Fidelco instructor/trainer, then brought him back to Monica for a long-awaited reunion. Monica’s anticipation of Rembrandt’s return could not be contained and as they met once again, her tears flowed and her gratitude to Fidelco made for a touching and heart-warming story of thanksgiving. The fact that it was her birthday made their reunion all the more sweet.

Today, Monica says she is “doing fantastic.” “I’m getting stronger and I definitely don’t miss dialysis,” she said. “And I’ve discovered the Fidelco difference all over again; that Rembrandt was worth the wait, that their concern for their clients can’t be beat and that I am so glad to have my dog back.”

Barry Honig and "Dylan" Barry Honig and “Dylan”

Barry Honig is a busy man. As an owner of several New Jersey companies, one of which requires extensive travel, he has little down time and needs to be mobile and ready to go on a moment’s notice. So, when “Starks,” Barry’s Fidelco guide dog, became seriously ill, it was not only a personal crisis but a business crisis as well. Barry would not allow himself to get a successor dog until the time came that Starks passed away in his arms. So, when he turned to Fidelco for help, he needed immediate assistance. “I called Pete Nowicki and told him that Starks had died and that I needed a dog. Within a week or two, a Fidelco trainer came down with Dylan and we trained over the Memorial Day weekend.”

Barry and Dylan just returned from Israel where Dylan had gotten what Barry describes as “a graduate course in international travel.” This ability to come and go as needed, not only internationally, but to the office each day or into Manhattan on a regular basis, is the freedom and independence that Barry’s Fidelco guide dog brings to him each and every day.

“There is definitely a Fidelco difference,” Barry says. “It’s a place where you get personalized service and people know you and your dog by name. Fidelco is highly responsive and has a deep sense of caring when their student is in need. I’m a huge Fidelco fan.”

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