Graduate Feature: A Woman's Best Friend

For a local blind woman, a guide dog serves as both companion and protector

By Erin Zaunbrecher 
The Times of Acadiana, Lafayette, LA
February 12, 2003 Yvette Pourciau, a native of Livonia, lost both of her eyes to cancer at the age of 3. She hasn't had the sense of sight for more than 40 years. Today, she is a Braille instructor for Affiliated Blind of Louisiana, a school for the deaf and blind on St. Mary Boulevard, and gets around with her guide dog Ritzy.

A typical week for Yvette involves traveling from her apartment to the school in the ABL van, teaching Braille classes, attending staff meetings and walking Ritzy, a yellow Labrador retriever. On weekends, she does her shopping, hangs out with friends and lectors at Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church.

Ritzy is usually by her side, either guiding or just keeping her company. She naps in Yvette's office during Braille classes and accompanies her even when another person is there to help. Ritzy has been with Yvette for almost eight years now and comes from Guide Dogs For The Blind, a nonprofit organization in San Rafael, Calif. Even though Ritzy is a "blonde from California," as Yvette refers to her, she has paid her dues and has become an honorary Cajun, having participated in the Krewe des Chiens.

Yvette got her first guide dog when she attended college at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She says she had heard about guide dogs as a child and has always loved dogs. She also says that as a young woman she wanted a dog with her for safety, as well to serve as an "icebreaker" with other people.

"People seem to have trouble approaching blind or visually impaired people," she says. "They either talk extra loud or don't know how to start up a conversation."

It's a rainy, cold Saturday morning, and Yvette and Ritzy are waiting for the ABL van to take them to Wal-Mart. Yvette has scheduled the van to pick her up at 10 a.m. at her apartment and bring her to Wal-Mart, then come back for her at 12:45 p.m. She says she has to plan ahead to make a shopping trip and also buys two of almost everything so she doesn't have to schedule trips as often.

She puts on Ritzy's harness, and the dog's face changes into working mode. Yvette explains that when out of her harness, Ritzy can play and run around like other dogs, but as soon as the harness is slipped on, Ritzy knows she is working and focuses only on guiding Yvette. She opens the apartment door, gets the cart for her groceries, says, "forward," and Ritzy leads her out the door.

The van stops at Red Lerille's to pick up another blind woman, then heads to the Wal-Mart on Pinhook Road and drops Yvette at the entrance. With the cart in tow, Ritzy leads Yvette inside and then is directed to the customer service counter by a greeter at the door.

At customer service, a worker recognizes Yvette and seats her on a bench to wait until someone is available to help her shop. A few minutes later, a worker named Sybil comes over with a basket for Yvette and takes hold of one side of it, while Yvette takes the other with her right hand. Yvette's left hand is on Ritzy's leash, and she explains that Ritzy knows she is working, but because Yvette's hand isn't on the harness, the dog knows that someone else is guiding her owner.

Their first stop is the pharmacy. Ritzy walks slowly by Yvette's side. Sybil helps her order her prescription and gives the pharmacist her information. The next stop is the soap aisle, and Yvette tells Sybil she needs bars of Dial soap and a bottle of Dial hand soap. Toothpaste follows, and Sybil asks Yvette if she wants Crest with Extra Whitening or Cavity Protection.

Ritzy gets excited at her favorite stop, the dog food aisle, and finds a stray piece of food on the floor. Sybil lifts a bag onto the bottom of the cart, and they go one aisle over for dog bones. As Ritzy searches the floor for more food, children pass, admiring her and pointing out the dog to their mothers.

"That dog's being very helpful," one mother says to her daughter. Other items on Yvette's grocery list written in Braille include blank tapes and CDs and yarn for the afghan she is knitting. In the Electronics section, a male worker approaches Yvette and Sybil and asks how everything is going. They move to the crafts section, and Sybil helps Yvette pick out yarn and lists the colors available to her. Yvette chooses navy, beige and burgundy and asks Sybil if they look good together.

Moving on to the grocery side of the store, Yvette needs tuna fish, mayonnaise, tea, soup, biscuit mix, macaroni and cheese, canned goods, raisins, paper towels, grape juice and frozen bagels. As Sybil picks up some of the items, like the tea and bagels, Yvette touches them to make sure they are the ones she wants. Another worker recognizes her and asks if they need help, and more children point out Ritzy to their mothers.

"See, that's a guiding dog," a mother says, while Sybil grabs canned beans and peas for Yvette. Yvette's prescription is not ready yet, so they head back to customer service to check out her groceries and load them into her cart. She says she usually goes through the regular checkout line, but today she needs to fill out a form asking Wal-Mart for a donation to ABL's Family Day event coming up.

Sybil checks out for Yvette, while she and Ritzy rest on the bench. She then loads the groceries into the cart and wheels it over to her. Her prescription will be ready in half an hour Sybil tells her, and Yvette checks her Braille watch. She still has about an hour before the van is scheduled to pick her up.

Yvette's Monday morning Braille class usually includes two or three students. Only one woman, Frances, who is slowly losing her sight, is scheduled today. This is Frances' second round of classes at the school, and she is in the six-month program that teaches skills like reading and writing Braille, cooking and walking with a cane.

Yvette is teaching out of Braille: A Different Approach Grade 1, while Ritzy takes a nap in her office. Thirty minutes into the class, Frances is beginning to get frustrated, but Yvette tells her that learning Braille is "like anything else. It takes time, practice."

Frances struggles with the word "pool," so Yvette gives her hints. "It's something you get into," she says. "You get wet. There's one next door at the Health Promotions Center." Frances guesses correctly.

About Yvette, Frances says, "She's a good teacher." She says Yvette tells her not to give up and helps her have the courage to keep on going. Frances says she wants a dog like Ritzy when she graduates from the program and plans to travel to California to get one.

At the end of the class, Frances leaves with the help of her cane, and Yvette grabs hold of Ritzy to guide her to lunch. Today, Yvette plans to walk down St. Mary to Burger King, a route she knows well. Ritzy leads her down the hallway and across the school to the front entrance. Yvette later explains that her sense of hearing has developed to recognize an opening in a hallway, so when she and Ritzy reach an entrance or doorway she can tell her "left" or "right."

Ritzy walks alongside Yvette on the sidewalk and stops at the first curb, even though it is not an intersection but a parking lot. Yvette says that guide dogs are trained to stop at curbs. They are also trained in "intelligent disobedience," meaning the dog may disobey an order for safety reasons. "They're trained to disobey if the situation is dangerous," Yvette says. "Like say if there's a big hole dug up in the sidewalk or something like that, and you tell them to go forward and there's no way they can go forward without stepping in it, they're not gonna go."

Yvette and Ritzy keep going until they reach the intersection of St. Mary and Brook Avenue. Ritzy automatically stops and waits while Yvette listens for traffic until it is safe to cross. Noon traffic is heavy, and it is a few minutes before Yvette is sure they can cross.

Yvette says that she prefers to cross the street by herself, but welcomes help if she's been waiting for a while and there is a lot of traffic. At Burger King, Ritzy lies at her feet and searches the floor for hamburger and French fry pieces, while Yvette eats her meal. On their way back to the school, a group of people pass Yvette and Ritzy on the sidewalk and inquire about the dog. Yvette's theory about Ritzy being an icebreaker is proven correct.

Ritzy will be 10 years old in November. Although she is in good health with only a touch of arthritis, Yvette says that most guide dogs work for eight to 10 years, so Ritzy's retirement is approaching. She could keep her as a pet, but wants to get another guide dog and doesn't want Ritzy to feel rejected. Guide Dogs For The Blind has a five-year waiting list of people who want retired guide dogs as pets, so Ritzy will go to a good home.

Yvette admits it will be hard to part with Ritzy, even though she's had to part with a guide dog once before. "These dogs become such a part of your life," she says.