
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 16, 1994                   TAG: 9407180125
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: JOANNE ANDERSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SOLOMON'S TIME HAS COME TO BE A LEADER

A YEAR AGO, Joanne and John Anderson became two of many volunteers nationwide who raise Leader Dogs for the Blind. When they brought the blond puppy home, they knew the day would come when they would have to give him up. What they did not know was how much it would hurt.|

Even the travel agent got all choked up when I called to arrange for Solomon's trip to Detroit, one-way.

Josie Bishop of World Travel remembers the first time the future leader dog walked into the agency last summer.

"He was just a small puppy, all soft and furry like a little duckling. He tripled in size each time we saw him, and now he looks like a mature dog," she said.

As if to show her that looks can be deceiving, Solomon rolled over and started wiggling on his back, kicking all four paws in the air.

It's a toss-up as to who learns the most in the second six months of a puppy's life - the puppy or the master.

The yellow Labrador, bred to be a Leader Dog for the Blind, has grown into a handsome, 72-pound dog.

Around his neck, he wears a Future Leader Dog bandanna, but not everyone sees it.

At Mountain Lake one Sunday, waiter Norris Harvey watched us as we placed our order. At first he thought I was blind, then my husband, John, "but he also looked straight at me," Harvey said. "It was confusing until I realized the dog was in training."

Over the months, Solomon has become more responsive to commands of sit, stay, heel, down and come. He has developed a great deal of patience waiting in line, traveling, attending concerts and going grocery shopping.

John and I have become more responsive to high-pitched yelps that translate "my tennis ball has rolled under a piece of furniture and I can't get it." We have been trained to get up earlier than normal and walk longer than we probably would. We, too, have developed a great deal of patience.

While we still don't approve of Solomon's laundry habit - picking up dirty clothes from the basket - we have an enhanced understanding of the behavior.

"Solomon loves you," we were told by a Colorado woman who has raised seven dogs for the blind, "and dirty clothes have your scent on them." It's one of his ways of being up close and personal.

Perhaps the greatest test of his patience and maturity occurred late in May when he flew with us from Washington, D.C., to Denver. From the parking lot shuttle, through security, four hours in the air and waiting at baggage claim, Solomon was the mature dog Josie Bishop must have seen beneath the puppy antics. The stewardesses were much more trouble, visiting and petting him as he lay quietly at our feet.

Solomon discovered squirrels in Washington D.C., rabbits in Colorado and a swimming pool when we recently bought the Per Diem Bed & Breakfast in town. How he's ever going to get over bolting toward these canine attractions is beyond me.

This week, my husband, John, and Solomon left for Rochester, Mich., for the Leader Dogs for the Blind headquarters. Solomon has been trained to lie on the floor of the car when the vehicle moves, but this time, he stood squarely on the seat and looked out the back window at me as John drove away. Could he have known he was leaving?

I'm sad as I sit alone in a suddenly empty house, but I'm also comforted in knowing Solomon has a great mission. He will have a good life and a constant companion who will love and care for him.

For the next eight months or so, he will be trained to recognize obstacles in a walkway, lead a person through a busy intersection and make decisions on when and how he will keep a sightless companion on safe ground.

His personality and life experiences will be matched with those of a blind person. The two will work together for one month at the Leader Dog school before Solomon accompanies his new master home.

We are often asked if we would raise another puppy. We don't respond quickly either way. There is significant time and expense involved, coupled with the frustrations of house breaking, chewing and general mischievious behavior almost every waking moment. Just when glimpses of dog maturity develop, it's time for him to leave.

But Solomon brought us a lot of joy and laughter along with the headaches, and most likely, we would do it again when time and lifestyle allows.

Leader Dogs for the Blind are supported by Lions Clubs. For more information, call Steve Jacobs at 953-0136 or write Leader Dogs for the Blind, 1039 South Rochester Road, Rochester, Mich. 48307.

Joanne Anderson works part time for this newspaper.

by CNB