Since losing his eye sight in March 2013, Chestermere resident Mel Foat, has not let this new challenge slow him down one bit. When we last chatted with Mel in March 2014, he had been without his sight for a year, which he lost after contracting a virus in his eye during a routine cataract surgery on March 12, 2013. During that first year, in order to keep mobile and some independence, Foat made use of a cane. However, within 10 months of losing his sight, an amazing gift came into Mel’s life.
Foat has been a long standing member of the Chestermere Lions Club serving as their President and during this time of becoming blind, Foat and his family began checking into the process of getting a guide do through The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides program. “I didn’t want to take a dog at first because I felt that there was likely someone else that could use it more than myself,” said Foat.
The process of obtaining a guide dog included filing paper work, a visit from a representative of the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides program and once it was all finalized, Foat flew to Oakville, Ontario on January 20, 2014, a day that wife, Gwen, still gets emotional about when reflecting on that day. “I remember taking him to the airport, they allowed me to go through security as it was easier for me to take him to the gate then to get another agent. We go through security and we’re sitting there at the gate and all was good, until the customer service agent came over and said ‘ok, we’ll board you first’ and then it was the time to hand him over.”
“They didn’t give us the dogs when we first got there. They held off for three days, just to tempt us. Then they brought Walker in and his sister, Hailey. They bring two dogs in at a time and just let them run around the room and smell and check things out, like dogs do. All of a sudden, the dogs decided to settle down and Hailey went and sat down in the middle of the room and Walker came over and sat right by my feet. And they said, ‘it looks like Mel has chosen his dog’ and I said ‘I didn’t chose him, he chose me’. They told us that the next day we’d get our dogs and to be in our rooms at 10am, and so I was in my room and a knock comes to the door and they said ‘here’s your dog Mel’, and I said ‘ok who did I get?’ he said ‘Walker’..and I said oh that’s cool!” The representative that was handling assigning Mel his dog had told Mel that this was the first time that the dog had actually selected its person and that it was also the dog that the staff at the foundation had felt was also best suited for Mel. Clearly a match made in heaven.
Following a graduation ceremony at the Ontario campus, Mel and Walker boarded a plane and flew home. That was a year ago this past January. So, we wanted to check in with Mel and Walker and see how that first year has been and how having Walker.
When Mel and Walker are at home, Walker does not wear his guide dog harness as Mel explains that he has his house memorized so Walker roams free, but never too far from Mel which is remarkable to watch. When they travel out of the home, whether it be for meetings, to someone else’s home, or a stroll around Chestermere, Walker is fashioned with his bright red harness.
“A normal day for Walker and I begins before 8am. We come downstairs, (Walker sleeps on the bedroom floor on Mel’s side of the bed) he goes out to do his business and then he comes back in and waits on his rug while I get his food and fresh water. Then he’ll come running out and we have a little ritual that I started with him is that I make him come to his dishes, sit down and I put my hand on his head and we pray for his food. He’ll sit there, he’ll look up at me, and I say ‘ok’ and then he gets to eat. Then we give ourselves a challenge every day. We go for a little walk usually. Increasing our challenge a little bit more every day”.
Most of you have likely seen Mel and Walker out and about. The Foat’s live over in the part of town near Prairie Waters School but you can find Mel and Walker going for a stroll all the way over by Lakeside Greens Golf course and even venturing over to the East side of the lake. Sometimes this can take them between 1 ½ hours to 2 ½ hours depending on the route they choose that day. “Walker comes up to the curbs, he’ll stop, and if it’s safe, he begins to proceed and I follow. The only thing that bothers him and me is if a really loud vehicle drives by or accelerates quickly and causes a big noise”.
Foat explains that there have been a few close calls while out on his walks. Cars have blown threw intersections and crosswalks, almost causing Mel to be knocked to the ground, but in those instances, Walker steps right in front of Mel to let him know to not proceed. During the winter months, when it’s can be quite dangerous for anyone to walk on the icy sidewalks and streets of our city, Mel did have an incident where he slipped on some ice and fell. Walker stayed by Mel’s side as Mel slowly got up and then Walker proceeded very slowly to give Mel that time to get his footing. Since then, Walker has learnt that when he gets to an ice patch on the sidewalk he will try and maneuver him and Mel around the ice, but if there is no choice but to walk on it, Walker will slow down significantly, which Mel now knows means there is an icy patch ahead.
When Walker first began calling Chestermere his home, it was quite difficult when he and Mel were out and about in the community to not have people come up and want to pet and engage Walker. Service dogs are exactly that, when they are on their harness, they are 100% dedicated to their person and in doing their job. Foat explains that since then, the community of Chestermere has been so supportive and have embraced the no pet rule when Walker is working.
Having Walker has clearly allowed Mel to continue with a very active life. He remains active with the Chestermere Lions Club and with the amazing uses of technology that Mel has so that he can use email, he thought he’d expand his amazing desire to give back to his community and put his name forward for the recent elections for a new CRCA board that took place earlier this year. “When I decided to take on this CRCA thing, I figured ok, I can do this, I can read everything and I can answer back in emails. I can talk to people. I’m only blind, for crying out loud. I enjoy challenges and I usually try to make those challenges worthwhile and make things happen and I guess that’s where my desire and purpose right now is I want to get our city and our county talking again and get back into the mode that we can get the CRCA going in a great direction”.
So as you see Mel and Walker out and about in our city, please remember to not pet Walker if he’s on harness, watch for them crossing the street and please don’t honk to say hello as that can also be startling to both Mel and Walker.
This guide dog program began in the early 1980’s when the Lions Clubs across Canada sought to develop a national project to reflect their service to Canadians with visual impairments. The result was Lions Foundation of Canada and its founding program, Canine Vision Canada, which was established in 1985. Since then the Foundation has grown to include additional Dog Guide programs: Hearing Ear, Service, Seizure Response, Autism Assistance, and newly introduced, Diabetic Alert Dog Guides.
Lions Foundation of Canada’s mission is to assist Canadians with a medical or physical disability by providing them Dog Guides at no cost. These Dog Guides are provided at no cost to eligible Canadians from coast to coast despite costing $25,000 to train and place. The Foundation relies on donations from individuals, service clubs, foundations and corporations and does not receive any government funding.
“I’m just so blessed that I was chosen to be given a dog from the Lions Foundation of Canada. They give 150 dogs every year to people that need a guide dog. They say it takes about a year to make a good bond with a dog, but I don’t believe that was the case with Walker and me”.
