All posts tagged guide dog

Michael Hingson, 9/11 survivor and author

By | August 31, 2011 | Authors | No comments

Michael Hingson–author of the new book, “Thunder Dog: The True Story Of A Blind Man, His Guide Dog and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero,” part memoir, but also a spirited yarn in which Hingson, blind since birth, recounts working in the North Tower of the Twin Towers on 9/11 and being led to safety from the 78th floor by his guide dog then, Roselle–discusses his formative years, when his parents “mainstreamed” him before that term (or philosophy) had first been utilized; he rode a bike as a kid, and drove a car as a college student! Read more…

Heide Illgen, a veteran trainer with Southeastern Guide Dogs

By | March 23, 2011 | Health & Behavior | No comments

Heide Illgen–a dog trainer at Southeastern Guide Dogs, where she’s worked for nearly 20 years–discusses some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding guide dogs. She also explains the process and attendant timetable of a dog potentially becoming a guide dog, a tightly-scripted saga that begins with puppies that Southeastern breeds at their facility, volunteer puppy raisers and more, long before Heide or a fellow trainer would begin their work. Read more…