Their son Jordan got Mikey, a black Labrador mix, about four years ago at age 16. Jordan has a degenerative eye condition that will eventually leave him blind.
The Johnsons say Takk came from Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Hills, Mich., and Mikey came from Guide Dogs of the Desert in Palm Springs, Calif.
They named their trainee Takk (pronounced tuk), which is Norwegian for "thanks."
His training includes going to lots of restaurants, movie theaters " where he cleans popcorn off the floor " city parks, the doctor's office, and anywhere else he's allowed. The Johnsons say they're thankful for the help of local establishments.
Unlike working guide dogs, people can pet and interact with Takk since he's still in training. Jordan confirms that the generic term for dogs that help blind people is "guide dog" or "dog guide."
And Jordan says it's easy to spot one on duty: "If a halter is on, he's working."
The Johnsons began seeing pictures of Takk, the "runt of seven puppies," while he was still in the home of his whelping host. He weighed 11 pounds when he came to River Falls then steadily grew to about 60 pounds.
They'll return Takk to the Michigan school in late October.
Sally said "raisers" typically help the dogs learn loose-leash walking, impulse and reaction control plus not to beg, be distracted, or react to other dogs while they're working. Other lessons include manners, greeting, doors, elevators, switching, extended "down" stays and more.
Dave says for example, the dogs must learn to stop at the top and bottom of all kinds of stairs. Sally recalls at least one "amazing" story of a guide dog getting their person and others to safety during the 9/11 tragedy.
The Johnsons are prepared for the possibility that Takk won't "graduate" as a guide dog. There is no guarantee, and they won't know until after he returns to Leader Dogs and undergoes two-four more months of training.
Sally emphasizes this fact: Dogs that don't graduate are not, under any circumstances, euthanized. She said they simply make a "career change" to one of the many programs with a waiting list for them, such as search-and-rescue.
Upon retirement around age 10-12, guide dogs can stay with their person, go to a family member or return to the school and be a goodwill ambassador.
The Johnsons have always had dogs and say their older pets, 12 and 13, don't want much to do with young Takk. But he is very interested in them.
First dog enabled new vision
Jordan has retinitis pigmentosa and had already learned how to read Braille and use a cane by the time Mikey came, a process that took about a year and a half.
The young man says his vision works like a narrow tunnel.
"I have no ability to adjust to different light situations," he said. "It's not something I let get me down."
He smiles and laughs and kids about how his world changed when Mikey arrived. Jordan says the difference between having a guide dog vs. a white cane is about as dramatic as the difference between a skateboard and a Ferrari sports car.
The white cane makes people freeze, whereas the dog makes them melt.
He attends UW-River Falls and works in the IT department. Jordan and Mikey live in an apartment about a mile away and walk to school each day. He said Mikey seems to sense when he needs help most " with stairs and in the dark or dim light.
The two have traveled together to many cities, including a few where Jordan says the dog saved his life. They were walking ahead of their group on a Washington, D.C., trip, said Jordan, and he prepared to cross the street.
Mikey not only wouldn't go forward but put his body between Jordan and the street. Seconds later a car came whizzing out of an adjacent underground parking garage, passing inches away from the dog's muzzle.
Sally said, "They call it intelligent disobedience," adding another example she heard of in Alaska, where a guide dog kept a woman from falling into a deep sinkhole.
Jordan said Mikey gets off work when the two get home. They often go places in a taxi together, where there is room for Mikey to stretch out.
"He loves doing that," Jordan said about the taxi rides.
The Johnsons moved from Eau Claire to Hudson, where they lived for two years before moving to River Falls. They acknowledge there are challenges to raising a guide dog. They're canines, so they smell and shed and sometimes draw criticism.
"It makes you have more patience," said Dave, adding that Takk wants to eat everything on the floor, "...and he just ate our insurance papers."
Sally says they do the work for good reason and will probably volunteer again to raise another dog like Takk.
"We have to pay it forward," she said. "Mikey's been such a gift to Jordan."
Dave and Sally say the guide dog programs also align with their membership in the Lions Club, which supports Leader Dog and broadly promotes eye health and better vision. They say the non-profit training schools couldn't operate without the Lions; Jordan agrees that support is vitally important.
Sally said, "It's a great experience, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."
The Johnsons encourage people to learn more about and support the training schools at their websites: www.leaderdog.org and www.guidedogsofthedesert.org .
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