Guide dog demonstrates his skills for 1st graders

For Tim Ferebee and Apache, it was love at first touch.

"It was an instant attraction, said Ferebee, 36, of his first meeting six years ago with his then 2-year-old guide dog.

"He put his paws on my leg, then gave me a big kiss."

Ferebee, 36, an Oceanfront resident who lost his sight at 21 due to a hereditary condition, and Apache paid a visit recently to Thoroughgood Elementary at the invitation of a young friend, Abbey Faro, 7, who knows the pair from church.

They wanted to show Abbey's first-grade classmates that their life is not much different from theirs.

"Apache has a job to do," Ferebee told the children as he pointed to his furry companion's harness. But, he added, "when I take off the harness, he becomes a regular dog."

Ferebee said they follow a daily routine, including things like brushing teeth - the children chuckled as Ferebee brushed Apache's teeth with vanilla-mint toothpaste - eating breakfast and getting dressed.

"Plus a little obedience training each morning," he added, as Apache sat and lay down on command. After catching a ball, the 107-pound English blockhead Labrador settled down for a nap.

"I'm blind and I pick out my own clothes," said Ferebee, holding up a sample tag sewn into each piece of clothing, with the color and name of the item written in Braille.

He showed them his manual typewriter-like machine, called a Brailler, and his talking wristwatch.

"Apache is just amazing," said Katherine Fitzgerald, 7.

"He helps him get around so he doesn't bump into stuff," classmate Clay Burbage realized.

"His presentation answered many of their questions they had about how blind people did the everyday things," said teacher Maureen Early. She said the students were surprised to see how their guest managed daily tasks with the help of his dog and modern technology.

Apache came from Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a nonprofit guide dog school in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

Ferebee said the process of getting Apache was lengthy.

"They want to make sure the person lives an independent lifestyle," he said. References, handicap documentation and assurance of excellent physical and mental condition are necessary, he noted.

He explained how dogs and owners are matched. "I'm 6 feet 4 inches and over 200 pounds and needed a big dog," he said.

Owners are required to follow rules, such as properly caring for and not profiting from the animal and must travel to New York for a month of intensive training before bringing their animal home.

Ferebee continues to support the organization and has raised more than $3,000 by participating in an annual fall 10K walkathon in New York. "It's our way of saying thank you," he said.

(Pledges can be made payable to Guiding Eyes for the Blind, c/o 2300 Walke St., Virginia Beach, Va. 23451.)

One of the children asked Ferebee what it's like to be blind. "It's not fun at first, but you get used to it," he said. "But I have a loving and healthy companion."

For more information on Guiding Eyes for the Blind, visit www.guidingeyes.org.

Cindy Butler Focke, butler496@aol.com