A Trust Between Partners

Jasper, Georgia is about an hour and a half north of Atlanta. It’s a small town located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains and when “Duke” and “Jaydn” were placed with Scott and Bronwyn Rumery, it caused a stir.  “We’ve become local celebrities here in Jasper,” said Bronwyn. “When people find out our dogs are brother and sister (same mother and father; different litters) and their mother is named Georgia, it definitely gets a reaction. It’s been really nice.”

Bronwyn and Scott are both so eager to tell you about their Fidelco guide dogs, that they often step on each other’s sentences. And the love they have for their dogs is unmistakable. “Yoshi,” (Scott’s first Fidelco guide dog) passed away last July. “We were together almost seven years and it was a bond unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” said Scott.

“It was six months between Yoshi and Duke and for those six months, part of me felt dead inside.” Now teamed with his new Fidelco guide dog, Scott’s freedom and independence have been restored. “Duke has brought so much into my life,” he said. “He’s a big dog but he’s a sweet dog and he loves to show you how much he loves you.”

Bronwyn’s first guide dog from another school could no longer work due to a stroke (the dog now lives with her mother) and she returned to using a cane. “I used a cane for eight or nine years until I got Jaydn.

I was apprehensive about getting another dog because I was so scared it would get sick again. I kept coming up with excuses why I didn’t need one,” she said. “But when I got Jaydn, I put the cane down and just walked. The freedom that she’s given back to me is just wonderful.”
As Scott’s vision began to dim in 1998, he started to think about his options. “It was through my research and an article in the ‘Hartford Courant,’ that I found there was a place in Connecticut that helped people like me.” Scott applied to Fidelco and in 2002, he received his first Fidelco guide dog. “My experience with Fidelco has been nothing but great,” he said. “When I come in contact with anyone that is looking for a guide dog, I tell them they should consider Fidelco.”

Bronwyn lost her vision when she was 16 years old and later, after making the decision to get another guide dog, she heard about Fidelco through Scott. “I knew that Yoshi was a wonderful, wonderful guide and I was fascinated with them bringing the dog to you and training you that way. When Scott told me that he was going to put in his application for another guide dog, he said, ‘If we’re going to do it, we should do it together.’ I took a big leap of faith and just went from there.” Today, Bronwyn has regained the freedom lost to her and has been given back the confidence that is so much a part of her life. “Having a guide dog is like dancing,” she said. “There is a certain rhythm, a particular step or movement; a trust between partners.”

(Editor’s note: Jaydn was raised by the Cahill family. Duke was raised by Chris Terzakis and Tom Limanni.)