WELCOME BACK.
JOINING US IN THE STUDIO, WE
HAVE SAJA, A LOCAL RESIDENT, AND
HER NEW GUY DOG LAYLA.
-- GUIDE DOG, LAYLA.
CONGRATULATIONS TO
BOTH OF YOU.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND
LAYLA.
I'M ORIGINALLY FROM
NEPAL.
I CAME TO THE U.S. IN 2010 TO
GET MY AA DEGREE.
I GOT MY AA DEGREE, MY
BACHELORS, MY MASTERS.
I DECIDED TO STAY IN THE U.S.,
NOW I'M WORKING ON A PHD IN
COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION
SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
HAWAII.
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS.
TELL US ABOUT LAYLA.
SHE IS MY FIRST GUIDE DOG.
THE PROCESS, HOW IT WORKS AT THE
SCHOOL IS AFTER THE DOGS ARE
BORN, WHEN THEY ARE EIGHT OR
NINE WEEKS OLD, THEY ARE RAISED
BY SOMEBODY ELSE CALLED PUPPY
RAISERS.
THE SCHOOL IS IN NEW YORK.
LAYLA WAS ACTUALLY RAISED IN
MASSACHUSETTS.
WHEN SHE WAS 16 OR 17 MONTHS
OLD, SHE CAME BACK TO SCHOOL AND
THEY TRAINED HER FOR ABOUT FIVE
TO SIX MONTHS.
AFTER THAT, I WENT INTO NEW YORK
AND TRAINED WITH HER FOR THREE
WEEKS.
SHE IS A GOOD DOG, VERY RELAXED
AND LAID BACK, VERY PLEASANT.
SHE IS VERY EASY TO WORK WITH.
YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY IN STUDIO
TO TELL US ABOUT THE PROGRAM.
YOU WERE TELLING ME BEFORE WE
GOT STARTED THAT YOU WEREN'T
ALWAYS A DOG PERSON NECESSARILY.
I WASN'T.
IN NEPAL,
WE HAVE DOGS, BUT THEY
ARE PRIMARILY CAP AS WATCHDOGS.
THEY STAY OUTSIDE THE HOUSE,
THEY TAKE CARE OF THE HOUSE,
THEY BARK WHEN SUSPICIOUS THINGS
ARE GOING ON.
WE DO NOT ALLOW DOGS FOR THE
MOST PART INSIDE THE HOUSE.
WE ARE NOT AS INTIMATE WITH OUR
DOGS AS AMERICANS ARE.
I WAS NOT A DOG PERSON.
WHEN I CAME TO THE U.S., AND I
DID NOT KNOW GUIDE DOGS EXISTED,
THAT THEY WERE USED TO HELP
BLIND PEOPLE, BUT WHEN I CAME TO
THE U.S., I STARTED TO LEARN
ABOUT
GUIDE DOGS, I MADE FRIENDS
WITH PEOPLE WITH GUIDE DOGS.
THAT REALLY FASCINATED ME.
I STARTED READING A LOT ABOUT
GUIDE DOGS.
GUIDESO I DECIDED TO GET A
GUIDE DOG.
I WASN'T ALWAYS A DOG PERSON.
I WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED.
YOU SEEM SO COMFORTABLE.
YOU ARE CONTEMPLATING GETTING A
GUY DOG FOR SEVEN YEARS.
HOW DOES IT FEEL NOW TO HAVE HER
HOME WITH YOU?
I FIND IT UNBELIEVABLE.
TO ME, THIS IS THE ULTIMATE
AMERICAN THING TO DO AS A BLIND
PERSON.
I WOULD
SAY THIS IS MY GREATEST
ACHIEVEMENT IN THE U.S..
I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE A
LIVE
TRAINED DOG WITH ME.
IT FEELS UNREAL.
SHE IS SO WELL BEHAVED.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS SHE
DOES FOR YOU AND HELPS YOU WITH?
I JUST GOT HER A WEEK
AGO, SO
I'M STILL LEARNING TO WORK WITH
HER AND SHE IS LEARNING TO WORK
WITH ME IN A NEW ENVIRONMENT.
SHE IS NOW ADJUSTING
TO THE
WEATHER, THE TIME CHANGE, AND
THE NEW ATMOSPHERE.
AS OF NOW, WHAT I HAVE NOTICED
IS THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT
STOOD OUT TO ME WHEN I WALK WITH
HER.
NUMBER ONE, SHE TAKES ME AROUND
OBSTACLES.
I DON'T RUN INTO THINGS ANYMORE.
WHEN I WALKED WITH MY CANE,
SOMETIMES I WOULD RUN INTO
BENCHES, POLLS, SOMETIMES I
WOULD RUN INTO DIFFERENT SIGNS.
SHE JUST TAKES ME AROUND.
NUMBER TWO, AND THIS
IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT ADVANTAGE OF HAVING A
GUIDE DOG, SHE WALKS ME STRAIGHT
IN A LINE.
WHEN I WALK WITH MY CANE,
SOMETIMES I GO TO THE LEFT,
SOMETIMES I GO TO THE RIGHT.
WITH LAYLA, THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT STOOD
OUT TO ME WORKING WITH A GUIDE
DOG.
SHE'S ONLY BEEN HOME FOR A
WEEK, BUT HAVE YOU ALREADY
FORMED THAT BOND WITH HER?
I DO.
EVEN IN TRAINING, IN A WEEK SHE
STARTED TO FOLLOW ME AROUND THE
ROOM, EVERYWHERE I WENT, TO THE
BATHROOM.
SHE WOULD ACTUALLY LEAN AGAINST
THE TUB AND WAIT UNTIL I WAS
DONE WITH MY SHOWER.
SHE DOES THAT AT HOME.
I DO FEEL LIKE I HAVE A STRONG
BOND WITH HER.
SHE FOLLOWS ME AROUND,
EVERYWHERE, EVERYWHERE I GO.
I AM BECOMING A DOG PERSON.
WE ALSO WANT THIS TO BE AN
EDUCATIONAL MOMENT.
PEOPLE GET EXCITED WHEN THEY SEE
A DOG.
WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO KNOW
ABOUT HOW PEOPLE SHOULD RESPOND
IF THEY SEE A GUIDE DOG?
I WANT THE PUBLIC TO
UNDERSTAND THESE DOGS ARE
WORKING, GUIDING A HUMAN BEING
TAKES A LOT OF WORK AND FOCUS.
WHEN THE DOGS ARE WORKING,
THEY'RE SO FOCUSED ON GUIDING.
WHEN YOU WANT TO PET OR PLAY
WITH THE DOG, IT DISTRACTS THEM.
PLEASE DON'T DO THAT, AS LOVELY,
AS CUTE AS IT MAY BE, DO
NOT PET
A WORKING DOG.
JUST LIKE HUMAN BEINGS, HOW WE
ARE FOCUSED AT WORK, IN THE SAME
WAY, THEY ARE FOCUSED.
WHEN THEY ARE WALKING, THEY ARE
ACTUALLY WORKING.
WHEN I WALK ON THE STREET WITH A
GUIDE DOG, I'M NOT JUST TAKING
MY DOG ON A LEISURELY WALK, SHE
IS GUIDING ME.
REFRAIN FROM THE URGE TO PET THE
DOG.
I WOULD REALLY PREFER FOR THE
PUBLIC TO ASK ME IF IT IS OK TO
PET MY DOG, RATHER THAN START TO
DO IT WITHOUT LETTING ME KNOW.
IF YOU SEE A BLIND PERSON ON THE
STREET, SOMETIMES WE CAN TELL
SOMEONE IS APPROACHING US,
BECAUSE WE HEAR FOOTSTEPS, OTHER
TIMES, WE CAN TELL BECAUSE THERE
MIGHT BE A LOT OF NOISES GOING
ON.
IF SOMEONE COMES AND STARTS
PETTING MY DOG, IT IS KIND OF
SCARY.
I CAN'T BELIEVE PEOPLE DO
THAT.
THEY SHOULD ALWAYS ASK A DOG
OWNER.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST
BRING
THEIR DOGS IN HER FACE, AND THAT
TAKES HER OFF.
IT IS VERY DISTRACTING.
LAYLA IS WORKING READ IF YOU
SEE A GUIDE DOG, THEY ARE ON THE
JOB.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH
US.
I LEARNED A LOT.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU BOTH IN
STUDIO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.