Pepper Training: Strolling Around

I took two trips today. In the morning we did what is called country work. Technically there is no “country” involved. This simply refers to working in places where there is no sidewalk. The person and dog walk on the left side of the road, against the traffic just as a sighted person should, and the person can use a cane to check the dog’s positioning with relation to the curb. At the ends of blocks, the dog guides the person around the corner and if the person wants to cross, the person has the dog stop, turn and cross after the block straightens.

In today’s country work trip, Pepper had an extra challenge: great piles of something she loves very much. Leaves! Wherever we go, she is enticed to play by blowing leaves. But today she led me wading through great piles of leaves with only a few sniffs.

In the afternoon, we went to a building to look for revolving doors to walk through. The revolving doors were all locked. But the movie theater was open! So we walked past children, whom she ignored, and popcorn on the floor, which she most certainly did not ignore without a fuss.

About Sarah Blake LaRose

Sarah Blake LaRose teaches Biblical Hebrew and Greek at Anderson University School of Theology and Christian Ministry in Anderson, Indiana. She is one of three blind academic scholars who received the Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of the Blind in 2016 in recognition of innovative work in the field of access to biblical language texts and tools for people who are blind. In addition to her work as a professor, she provides braille transcription services specializing in ancient languages. Her research interests concern the intersection of disability, poverty, and biblical studies.

About Sarah Blake LaRose

Sarah Blake LaRose teaches Biblical Hebrew and Greek at Anderson University School of Theology and Christian Ministry in Anderson, Indiana. She is one of three blind academic scholars who received the Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of the Blind in 2016 in recognition of innovative work in the field of access to biblical language texts and tools for people who are blind. In addition to her work as a professor, she provides braille transcription services specializing in ancient languages. Her research interests concern the intersection of disability, poverty, and biblical studies.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *