Suki and I Promote Guide Dogs

Yesterday I boarded the train to Tel Aviv and settled Suki down on the floor under my seat. A young man approached me and asked me if I had a guide dog, explaining that he himself was blind. He was a student at Hebrew University and came from Peki'in. We soon began chatting and he moved over to sit opposite Suki and me. He explained that he used a cane and that he had thought of getting a guide dog, had even spoken to Yael at Beit Oved, but he lived with his parents and his father was reluctant to have a dog in the house.

"Does she destroy things in the house? Does she pee in the house? What do you do when it's raining?" All these questions made me think that this young man had no experience at all with dogs and that his father was obviously afraid that a guide dog would badly disrupt the household. I gave him my phone number and told him that I was no expert: I was only beginning to use a guide dog myself, but that if he decided that he wanted a dog he was welcome to come and visit with his parents and see how well-behaved, clean, and quiet Suki was. I have a feeling tnat any guide dog would be a great asset in the campqaign to pursuade his reluctant parents. When we approached T|el Aviv I got Suki out, put on her harness, and stood her in the aisle, letting him pet her and feel how clean, brushed, and well kept she was. I hope he decides to pursue getting a dog.

Arriving at my daughter's house in Givatayim, Suki settled down in her appointed place in the house. She seemed a bit bored, so I went out to the nearby pet store, where she was admired by the owner who sold me a new sterile bone and threw in a few dog biscuits as a treat on the house. Back upstairs Suki settled down with her new bone. DId I say "upstairs?" I now appreciate moshav life even more - It's much easier to walk out the front door at home than it is to walk down three flights of stairs every time I need to take Suki out and then climb back up again! Dog owners in the city have it rough!