Zeanna Bunch couldn’t have known that for the next several years
she would have a dog as a best friend to help her get through life.
Bunch, and her black Labrador Tonya, were among 12 graduates from
Guide Dogs For The Blind that earned their diploma Aug. 28.
IVAN S. AGUILARTE – SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Zeanna Bunch couldn’t have known that for the next several years she would have a dog as a best friend to help her get through life. Bunch, and her black Labrador Tonya, were among 12 graduates from Guide Dogs For The Blind that earned their diploma Aug. 28.
Bunch lost her vision when she was 12 and was declared legally blind at 21.
Just last week Bunch, now 45 and a mother of two daughters, took her dog around Morgan Hill for the first time since graduating.
After getting a cup of coffee at Starbucks in south Morgan Hill, Tonya sat to the left of Bunch, concentration etched across her face.
Bunch said if not for her dog, life would be a struggle.
“They give blind people the independence and self confidence that would be very difficult to obtain any other way,” Bunch said. “Tonya makes me feel safe.”
Guide dogs are able to help blind people to find an empty chair and doors, and stay safe in traffics situations.
Bunch is a homemaker and is preparing to look for a job in Morgan Hill in the next few weeks. She has two daughters, Corle, 20, who attends Sierra Community College in Rocklin and Corinne, a 17-year-old senior at Sobrato High School.
Being blind isn’t a challenge just for Bunch, but for her children as well.
“When I was younger, I couldn’t do many extracurricular activities because I had to get rides from other people, but now I can drive myself,” Corinne said.
It wasn’t until over a cup of coffee with a neighbor that Bunch learned of Guide Dogs for the Blind.
“I got interested in it, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have a guide dog,” Bunch said.
To earn a diploma from the Guide Dogs for the Blind, which is located in San Rafael, is not an easy task. Work starts at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m. every day.
“Since you get to the school you I’ll be working even when you go to dinner because you are always learning something, and teaching the dog to be patient and keep quiet,” Bunch said. “After working a couple of weeks, and feeling how positive and careful the dog is, I began to trust her,” Bunch added.
Bunch said the training program was tough.
“I remember when the trainers took us out to downtown San Francisco and gave us a direction to go and we had to cross streets and deal with traffic, it was really hard,” Bunch said.
After several days of working, the trainers from the school are committed to pairing the right dog with the right person.
“The trainers taught us to trust in our guide dogs and how to move around with him. One of the most important things is that you learn to be most of the time in a very high level concentration,” Bunch said.
“Most of the Guide Dogs are Labradors because they are easy to train, have healthy and strong breathing capacity and also are very intelligent,” Bunch said. “Their job is to be focus on the handler’s safety and take us where ever we want to go. It was really nice because the camaraderie was fantastic and the trainers are always able to help you and make you feel comfortable.”
Theresa Sage, though legally blind, makes her living as a history teacher at Ann Sobrato High School. In 2009, Sage was honored as Teacher of the Year. She brings her dog Schubert to class and said that having a guide dog is invaluable.
“He gives me independence and the opportunity to walk around safety,” Sage said of her dog. ” I recommended to Zeanna to be very consistent with her dog because her dog will help her every day to get her independence.”
Bunch hopes the public treats blind people and their guide dogs with respect.
“Please, when you see a guide dog and they are wearing a harness do not distract him in any way because it could be dangerous for the blind person,” Bunch said.
