Bringing Home Trophies from the Sportiada in Eilat

This was the second year that the Sportiada - Israel's largest sporting event - featured a cycling race for tandem bicycles, and close to 50 tandem bikes from Canvelo and other groups throughout the country took part in the two-day competition.  Riders from the three Canvelo biking clubs, "Eynayim L'Shnayim" from the Upper Galilee, and "Galgal Ofan" from Kiryat Motzkin were there to tackle the rugged desert terrain in two competitive rides..  Many graduates from the Center and their teammates from all three Canvelo groups won trophies this year in all the age and gender categories.  After two days of competition the tandem bikers set out on a 20-kilometer non-competitive bike ride in the area of Timna.   Below: Canvelo riders together in the desert near Timna, riders from the center group and northern group displaying trophies won in the competition.

Sharing a Tour of the East Side!!

I am writing a personal post this week to share my thrilling first tour of the new campus that I took with Dennis and my guide dog Dinka.  It is hard to believe that only last December we were standing amid rubble and dirt on the East Side pouring spadefuls of concrete into a hole in the ground at the festive cornerstone laying ceremony.  It is now eight months later and the East Side has been transformed into a state-of-the-arts guide dog school training and puppy development campus!

We began the tour at the place where the sidewalk of the present campus joins the new path leading to the new campus.  Here there will be a statue of a Labrador retriever and a dog memorial garden, and a new tree is already growing in the area. 

The New Kennel Building

Outdoor yeard in the new kennels

The simulated crosswalk with stoplight

Path to the new campus

The New Kennels

Walkway connectying the old and new campus

We continued on to the dog exercise run where there is a lawn and a safe fenced in area for dogs to run free.  This is a great area for trainees to practice letting their dogs off leash and teaching them recall as well as letting them relax and have fun. 

The training campus includes a new obstacle course with a shaded area for hot summer days or rainy weather, and a simulated crosswalk where trainees can learn how to navigate a city crosswalk and stoplight before they experience the real thing with traffic in town.  Dinka stopped neatly at the crosswalk and then had fun running through the elaborate maze – a challenging game for dogs to learn recall and find their way back to their handlers.

The old puppy house is now converted into an elaborate breeding facility with modern rooms and equipment for mother dogs to give birth and remain with their litters until the puppies are ready to leave for their adopted families.  Dinka eagerly explored the new kennels and building with its yards adjoining every two cells in the kennel.

The staff is currently getting organized to handle the additional work that the new kennels and additional dogs will entail, including hiring an additional staff member to help with dog care in the kennels.

There are many expressions of thanks to convey to many people, and we hope that many friends, donors, and supporters will be with us to dedicate the new campus next April!

In other news, last Thursday the staff bid a fond farewell to four of the six National Community service workers who have been an inseparable and valuable part of life at the Center: Inbar and Haviva left us after two years of dedicated work in the kennels, and Shani and Hilla who also worked in the kennels left after working with us for the past year.  Vered and Eden will remain with us. Each of the young women received a gift of a framed photo with one of the dogs she cared for, and there were many tears of sadness at the parting.  We wish to extend our sincere thanks to these young women for their dedicated work, and wish them all best of luck and success in whatever they pursue in the future!

They're off! New puppies begin their year with adoptive families.

It's a big and exciting day when our puppies are ready to leave their mothers and begin their year with their adoptive families!  By the age of 8 weeks they have already been exposed to various stimuli, walked on different surfaces and stairs, and begun to explore the world.  Now they are ready to begin learning the skills that will prepare them to be guide dogs in the future.  Many of them will be raised by university students at various academic institutions, where they will learn to sit quietly in class. 

Last Friday puppies were distributed to their adoptive families at a special event on campus.  Before they left, some of our older, more experienced dogs showed these little puppies how it's done!  

Good luck to puppies and families, and we hope to see all these puppies as full-fledged guide dogs in two years! 

Ready to begin their year together: Puppies and adoptive families

Hobby, Ran Gornie's guide dog, with Teva, the puppy that will be raised by Ran's daughter

Orna and Hilla with puppy and guide dog in training: Showing them how it's done!

Getting to Know and Appreciate Our Volunteers

Volunteers have always played an important part in the daily life of the Center.  They help in the kennels and kitchen, provide leisure activities for course participants, help in the office, guide tours for visitors, run errands, and ride with the Canvelo cycling clubs.  Some raise puppies and foster pension guide dogs.  They are everywhere every day, and they deserve our thoughts and appreciation!

Gal Lee Danon, who is in charge of volunteers, decided it is time for us to show our appreciation of the work our volunteers do and to get to know them better.  She prepares a short PowerPoint presentation about one or two of our volunteers to be presented at the monthly staff meetings.  The presentations show each volunteer, what they do at the center and outside it, their hobbies, and interests.  This month Gal Lee presented two of our volunteers: Nancy and Eyal. 

Thanks to Gal Lee for her important work and for the thoughtful way of getting to know our volunteers better! 

In other news, work on the construction has been renewed and is progressing rapidly.  Against the background of construction noise dogs are taken to train in the early morning to avoid the summer heat, visitors from Israel and abroad tour the center as families take their children on vacation, and a special summer course will begin next week with three experienced graduates receiving replacement dogs.  We wish everyone success! Drink lots of water, keep cool!   Here is a short video taken by Noach.  As you can see, despite the heat, life at the Center is thriving!

IGDCB Graduate Athletes Competing on Land and Water

Last Friday all three Canvelo clubs (Merkaz, Sharon, and Tzafon) took part in the first national championship competition for off-road tandem biking.  The race was held in the Grove for the Blind in the Ben Shemen Forest.    The race was organized by the Jewish Blind Institute and Canvelo and was sponsored by the Jewish Blind Institute, the Israeli Cycling Assosiation, the Israel Sports Association for the Disabled, and the National Insurance Institute.

The 50 tandem bike riders lined up at the starting line to begin the 9-kilometer race that took them through the forest along difficult routes that required not only stamina but extensive technical skill.  Riders raced up and down hills, along winding paths, and over rocky terrain that any cyclist would have found exciting and challenging. 

Trophies were awarded to the all-men and mixed couples who placed 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd in three age categories: under 45, 45-60, and over 60. 

IGDCB graduates from all three Canvelo cycling clubs and their partners took home trophies.  Graduates who won places in the competition were Uri Basha, who completed the race first and won first place in the 45-60 men's category, Bracha Ben Avraham who placed 2nd in the over 60 mixed couples category, and Ruth Nachshon who won 2^nd place in the mixed couples under 45 age group. 

And on the water…IGDCB graduate Achia Klein has also made amazing achievements in both international and local rowing competitions. 

Achiya Klein participated in the 2017 FISA International Para Rowing Regatta competition in Gavirate, Italy.  Achiya and Shay-Lee Mizrachi won the silver medal In the Mixed Co-Ed Four category, and Israeli rowers Shay-Lee Mizrachi, Simona Goren, Achiya Klein, Barak Hatzor and Leah Sas won the Bronze Medal.  This is an important competition on the way to qualifying for the World Championship.

IGDCB Graduate Achiya Klein with rowers and his guide dog Night

Cyclists at the Off-Road Tandem National Championship 

                                  

The 5th MIssion to Poland

I am writing this week's blog after participating in the 5th Mission to Poland sponsored by the IGDCB who returned home yesterday after a six-day tour of historic sites .  The group included six graduates of the Center and their guide dogs and escorts, an additional blind participant and his escort, the tour coordinator, and guide.
During our six day visit to Poland we toured centers of Jewish life in Warsaw, Lublin, and Krakow, and visited  Treblinka, Majdanek, Auschwitz, and Birkenau.  Blind members of the group were able to perceive these places by touching and by listening to vivid descriptions offered by the guide and their escorts.  The group conducted a small memorial ceremony at the crematorium in Birkenau and  members lit a candle and read or recited names of family members who were murdered in the Holocaust.  The visit ended with the March of the living on Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Day on April 24th.  All of us felt that the visit was a difficult but meaningfuland   enlightening experience and that the six days that we spent together in Poland helped us to better understand this period in our history that was characterized by unspeakable evil conducted by the Nazis  as well as heroic deeds of Jews and those who aided them.

The group at Auschwitz with IDF Chief of Staff and IGDCB graduate Achia Klein

Remembering the victims at the memorial at Majdanek

The delegation marching from Auschwitz to Birkenau in the March of the Living

Chag Sameach!

We wish everyone in Israel and abroad a joyous Pesach holiday!  This week the center hosted many visitors who took advantage of the school vacation to arrive with families and children.  Visits took place against the background of the rapidly rising new kennel and puppy development center building under construction.

This week the six center graduates, their escorts and tour guide met for a one-day preparatory seminar at the Yad VaShem Museum to prepare for the 5th mission to Poland sponsored by the Center.  The group leaves Wednesday morning for a six-day tour of historical sites in Warsaw, Krakow, and other cities that will culminate with the March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Holocaust Memorial Day April 24th.  

Our Staff on a Day Off in Ramla

Ramla is a Jewish - Arab city only a half hour's drive from the Center, but it's one of those places in Israel that many people overlook.  On Wednesday the entire center staff took the day off for a guided tour of Ramla.  We soon learned that Ramla is a colorful multi - ethnic city with a fascinating history.
 We began the tour at the Great Mosque where our guide gave us a short history of the building, which was originally built as a Basilica.  We then continued into the marketplace where we tasted samples of some of the local cuisine.  From there we walked to the White Tower and then descended into an underground cavern where we rowed about in small boats beneath the arched ceiling.  By that time we were all hungry and so we made our way to a Bukharin restaurant to end the day with lunch.
Thanks to Efrat for organizing the fun day!  

Purim Celebration at the Center

Each year at Purim the staff takes a couple of hours to dress up, goof off, and have fun.  This year's celebration began with a festive holiday meal prepared by Ruthi that was enjoyed by everyone.  After that the trainers stopped training, the kennel staff left the dogs to take an afternoon nap in their kennels, the office staff stopped answering phones and typing, and we all gathered in the auditorium as each member of the staff made an entrance in costume. 

Much of the party – which was meticulously planned and conducted by Efrat - was spent attempting to solve a mystery quiz that pitted our logic and mental stamina! 

The staff was transformed into clowns, Lego bricks, a pregnant nun, a bottle of ketchup, and other elaborate costumes. 

The three winners in the costume contest were the Community Service workers dressed as Dalmatians, Rafi dressed as Efrat, and Zipi dressed as Noach.   Many thanks to Ruthi and Efrat for planning and arranging a wonderful Purim celebration! 

Ofer and Daria Volunteer their Hugs and Love

ELIYA (The Israel Organization for Blind Children) operates several kindergartens in Israel for children with blindness or visual impairments that have been cooperating with the Center for several years.  Volunteers from the Center visit the kindergartens each week with guide dog puppies, retired guide dogs, or career change dogs.  The children have the opportunity to pet the dogs and experience the companionship that dogs offer.  We believe that developing a trusting relationship with dogs at a young age will prepare these children for a relationship with a companion dog at home, and encourage them to adopt a guide dog in the distant future.

A new ELIYA kindergarten opened in Rehovot two weeks ago, and Brig. Gen. (ret) Moti Regev, a long-time volunteer at the Center and founder of the Canvelo cycling club, and his son Ofer volunteered to visit the kindergarten.  Ofer visits the kindergarten each week with Daria, a retired breeding dog who lives with the Regev family and is Ofer's companion.  Volunteering at the ELIYA kindergarten is Daria's second career, and she does the job happily.  Ofer gives the children warm hugs and a ride in his wheelchair, while Daria does her part by offering children the cuddly love and warmth that dogs have to give!

Ofer and Daria in the ELIYA Kindergarten

   

We are Moving ALong!

Here is a fun new video showing the progress that has been made on the building site so far, encouraging people to continue to support this project as the Center grows!  

Thanks to Eden Barayev, National Service volunteer, who produced the video!  Enjoy!  

Guide Dogs and Dalmatians Get Together To Teach Kids about Guide Dogs and Heroism

Dalmatians have traditionally been associated with firefighters.  The speckled, robust dogs ran alongside horse-drawn firefighters' wagons, clearing the road of other carriages, people, and animals so firefighters could get through.  Since then they have served as mascots in fire stations and are often used as an icon in many educational programs for teaching children fire prevention and safety. It is no wonder that the Hero in You Foundation decided to adopt the Dalmatian as its symbol. 

The Hero in You Foundation was founded by Bunni and Rick Benaron of California following the events of 2001.  The foundation's objective is to honor first responders, who help in emergencies, and to teach children that they, too, can be heroes and perform good deeds to help others.  The foundation has erected numerous Dalmatian puppy statues in fire stations, schools, and parks throughout the United States to deliver the message that anyone can help others and perform heroic acts.

When the foundation offered the Center a donation of one of their colorful Dalmatian puppy statues, we decided that to place it in the nearby city of Yavneh where the important message would reach as many children and parents as possible.  In 2016 a Dalmatian puppy statue was placed in the city park in the "Green Neighborhood" in Yavneh. The expansive park has lawns, a pond, play equipment, and a dog park directly opposite the statue.

The center has joined the education department of the Yavneh municipality in launching an educational project that combines ideas of heroism, relationships between people and dogs, and the importance of our guide dogs in helping people with blindness and visual impairments overcome their disability.  The program, which was written by center graduate Bracha Ben-Avraham, is being presented to schools and kindergartens in Yavneh.  It's part of our effort to get our message across about the importance our heroic dogs are in improving the lives of blind and visually impaired people.

On February 9^th the program was presented to two kindergartens in Yavneh, and the mayor of Yavneh Zvi Gov Ari, Noach Braun, Dennis Allon, and Bracha Ben Avraham and her guide dog Dinka and the children posed for photos next to the Dalmatian statue in the park.    

Congratulations are in Order!

In addition to the usual reports of upcoming courses, activities, and news, today's staff meeting was marked by an exciting moment as Noach presented Yoav Ortov with his diploma certifying him as a guide dog mobility instructor.  Yoav began his apprenticeship in May 2013 and later spent six months at the Oregon Campus of Guide Dogs of America, where he learned many techniques and methods that he shared with his colleagues upon his return.  Yoav completed his final examinations of the International Guide Dog Federation to complete his training.  Upon receiving his diploma Yoav remarked, "I can't think of any work more rewarding than what I am doing here."  Congratulations to Yoav and success in his future work with us!

The staff also said goodbye to Yaniv Ben David, a volunteer from Munich who spent the past several weeks working in the kennels.  Yaniv, who loves dogs, is the son of an Israeli family who became acquainted with the center through his grandparents who are acquainted with center graduate Gadi Yarkoni. We wish Yaniv best of luck and hope to see him and other enthusiastic volunteers at the center in the future.

Yoav Ortov receiving his Guide Dog Instructor Qualification Certificate from Noach Braun

Small Gifts from Big - Hearted Kids!

Since 2009 the Center has employed the clicker training method, which is based upon the idea of positive reinforcement of good behavior.  The method uses a clicker that makes a distinctive click to "mark" good behavior, followed by a food reward.  Puppies and guide dogs in training learn faster with this method and are highly motivated to do their job as guide dogs.  Our guide dog users are also taught to use clicker training to reinforce good behavior and to teach their dogs to locate useful locations such as the entrance to the bank or grocery store, and to lead their handlers to useful objects such as an empty seat on the train platform, a mailbox, or even an ATM machine.
What is more useful for a puppy walker or a guide dog handler than a bag to store treats when working outside?  Students from Jewish schools in London and Manchester provided a useful solution for carrying treats: They decorated small zippered treat bags for our puppies in training.  Each bag is decorated with a student's drawing or puppy's name.
Thanks to the students for their wonderful handiwork and for their thoughtfulness!