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Estate News Guide Dogs Our family volunteered to puppy walk for the South African Guide Dog Association for the Blind (SAGA) at the beginning of this year. As we left Johannesburg for Swellendam last December we received a call from SAGA: would we be prepared to walk an extra special puppy, be willing to allowTV cameras into our home and attend certain media functions with the puppy? Well, of course we said yes, and Limerick came to us in January 2010. He is a Golden Labrador being sponsored by the M-Net TV programme All Access. The All Access team have followed his progress and filmed him throughout the year. Limerick has taken us to several media events including the Colourburst SAGA Spring Ball. One of his fans is Miss South Africa and we have photos of him with many celebrities. It’s been a lot of fun and a lovely experience for our children. I worked at SAGA for three years in 1987- 90 and was part of the team managing kennels and running the puppy walking scheme. Since that time I lived in Britain for a while and on settling in Fourways Gardens 17 years ago I continued my association with SAGA, including puppywalking a gorgeous Golden Retriever named Joss-lyn. SAGA has its own breeding programme in conjunction with other guide dog associations internationally. The breeding stock is chosen for dependable temperaments, good health and longevity. When a litter is born at SAGA all pups from that litter have names beginning with the same letter.They are cared for atSAGA until they are eight weeks old. Then each pup goes to a puppy walker. Puppy walkers are members of the public who are both hardy and foolhardy enough to take on a little pup until it is one year old and then give it back to SAGA for training as a guide dog. This means that along with all the cutesy puppiness one also gets all the growing and teething pains of a young dog! The idea is that the puppy walking family will socialise the pup, house train it and expose it to real life. The family needs to keep the puppy safe from experiences that might cause it to become fearful or sensitive in later life. The pup needs exposure to a variety of pets and different types of people. The puppy can go with the walker into any situation that has been pre-cleared by SAGA and the owners of the location involved; therefore outings to the theatre, cinema, school, restaurants or mall are all possible. Unfortunately it is getting more and more difficult to get permission for puppies to accompany their walkers. A puppy walker is expected to take the puppy out on the lead in their neighbourhood and teach it to walk correctly, to sit, down and stay. Puppies may not jump up on furniture or people and may only eat at meal times. Puppy walkers are given a lead, collar and jacket for the puppy with ‘L’ plates on it indicating that the puppy is a guide dog in training. The puppy walking supervisors visit our home regularly and will pop in whenever we have a problem with the puppy. They teach us how to train the pup and help us overcome behavioural issues with it. SAGA provides all of the puppy’s food, which is sponsored by Purina and all medical care is undertaken at the Bryanston Veterinary Hospital for the SAGA account. A guide dog puppy is always kennelled at SAGA when the puppy walking family goes away. If the vacation is an extended one another puppy walking family may “board” the pup for a few weeks. This makes puppy walking an ideal way for families that are in South Africa on contract to have a pet. Just contact SAGA on 011 705 3512 and the puppy walking supervisor will pay you a visit, ensure that you are fully informed as to what is expected of you and check that your property is suitable for a puppy. You might also wish to volunteer at SAGA in other ways, raising funds, packing their mail order items or even boarding dogs in your home. South African Guide Dogs for the Blind is situated opposite St Peter’s School in Wroxham Road, Bryanston. The big old house on the property is where all the blind people stay when they come to SAGA for training with a new guide dog. Initially students are trained to walk correctly, give commands and care for a dog before they are even introduced to their new guide. It is a large property and has kennelling for nearly 100 dogs. The kennels house guide dogs in training, guide dogs whose owners are ill or away, brood bitches and their litters and puppies who are boarding whilst the puppy walking family is away on holiday. There is also a hospital and isolation block. Other buildings on the property are the Orientation and Mobility School, the main administration headquarters forSAGA, staff Fourways Gardens | Eleventh Issue 2010 • 16 quarters, exercise runs, and a swimming pool. As well as training guide dogs for blind people, SAGA also trains hearing dogs for the deaf and service or social dogs for people with other handicaps, impairments or illnesses. Another significant service that SAGA provides for the community is the training of Orientation and Mobility instructors. These are people who train visually impaired people to use a cane and other aids in order to live productively in spite of blindness or visual impairment. The course is conducted over several months both at SAGA and in the field. At this time of year SAGA sells mail order items which are high quality gifts, wrapping paper and Christmas cards which can be for personal use or are overprinted for corporate gifts and Christmas mailings. Yet another way that we can all help SAGA continue its work. Next time you see a dog on a leash in Fourways Gardens remember that there may well be more to that dog than meets the eye. You’ve booked your holiday but have you thought about your pets? December is a time of beach holidays and getaways and it’s a time when our family friends – our beloved pets – are often forgotten. We urge all our Residents to please ensure that your pets are not left alone in vacant homes in the Estate. After all there is nothing more frustrating than a dog that barks 24/ 7. Please ensure that you’ve made arrangements for your pets to stay in kennels or with family members. Please contact your vet to find the names of reputable kennels in the area. Remember: all your pet has is you. Ask yourself, would you like to be alone on Christmas?
Travel Kilimanjaro It was with adventure in our hearts and a healthy dose of blissful ignorance that seven girls (two Fourways Gardens moms and five friends from surrounding neighbourhoods) set out to conquer Africa’s highest peak, Mt Kilimanjaro. We had hiked, trained in the gym, googled all the websites, chatted to friends who had done it, bought all our kit from Trappers and we were set to go. What we found out soon enough was that although we may be ready to go, this was Africa Time and things happen when they happen, not when you want them to. With an average age of what seemed like 20 amongst the other climbers, we were something of a novelty and groups of all nationalities chatted to us, laughed at us and called us names (Bafana Bafana and Vuvuzela were common thanks to theWorld Cup) as they rushed past us each day. It was true that we left camp first and arrived last every day, but we took the Tanzanian mantra ‘pole pole’ (slowly, slowly) VERY seriously. And it certainly paid off. After days of camping on slopes, washing in a bucket, peeing in the bush, crying, vomiting, breaking snot icicles off of our noses and the final nine-hour hike to the summit in the middle of the night, we arrived at the top. What an accomplishment to say that we actually did it! Some of us loved it, some appreciated the experience and some swore that if they had Fourways Gardens | Eleventh Issue 2010 • 17 known what it was like they would never have done it! One thing is for sure though; we could never have made it to the top without each other and the amazing guides and porters who ran past us every day with tents and food – and certainly not without our port-a-loo!
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Page 15: Recipes Four Cheese Ravioli, Artich
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