Allan is a 3-year-old lab-retriever mix who’s lighting the way for Kimberly Schoneman’s ever-darkening world.
Schoneman, Luverne, was diagnosed in 2009 with retinopathy uveitis. “My retinas are dying,” she told a roomful of Luverne Lions Club members last week.
The autoimmune disease has taken her night vision, peripheral vision and many of the freedoms she previously enjoyed. By 2012 Schoneman was legally blind.
Helping the blind and visually impaired is the primary mission of Lions Clubs International, and Schoneman found help through the Lions.
She and Allan met at Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester, Michigan, one of the nation’s leading centers for raising and training leader dogs for people who are visually impaired.
The organization was founded in 1939 by the Lions Club and is supported by Lions Club chapters around the nation — including the Luverne Lions Club.
Schoneman and Allan have been together since February 2020 and she introduced him to the Lions Club members Monday night, Sept. 13, to share their story.
“He’s been a wonderful addition to my life,” she told the group gathered in the Pizza Ranch meeting room. “He’s given me back my confidence to go places and do things I wasn’t able to do.”
She said her journey started in 2013 when she started training at the School for the Blind in Sioux Falls where she learned Braille, how to use a cane and other life skills.
Meanwhile she applied for a dog through Leader Dogs in Rochester, and in July of 2019 she went through cane training and was placed on a waiting list for a dog.
In December of 2019 she learned she could have a dog, and in February of 2020 she returned to Rochester for 21 days of training with her dog.
She also explained Allan’s background to the Luverne Lions.
Leader Dogs in Rochester are labs, retrievers or a mix, and the puppies are weaned at 8 to 12 weeks old.
They spend the next year of their lives in a prison (Allan was in the Iowa State Penitentiary) where they’re taught basic commands, such as “sit,” “stay,” “down” and “come.”
They’re also introduced to a leash, put on a feeding schedule and potty trained.
Schoneman explained why prisons are ideal for puppy training.
“Because you’re dedicating a year of your life to a puppy that isn’t going to be with you,” she said. “Not very many other people want to do that.”
And she said prisons and leader dog schools have learned it’s mutually beneficial for the puppies and the prisoners.
After a year, dogs are assigned based on specific needs of the human.
“They look at your surroundings, your home, your work and how you walk,” Schoneman said. “If you’re a fast walker, you don’t want a slow dog or you’re going to get ahead of them. If you’re a slow walker, you don’t want a dog that’s going to pull you.”
And then the humans and dogs practice what they learned in training. For example, when they’re approaching a curb, Allan will start to slow down and then will stop in front of her.
If he senses she’s in danger, he’ll place himself between her and what might harm her.
Schoneman said it takes a good year to bond with a dog, and Allan fit in right away, even with her two chihuahuas. “But they have to look out for his big feet,” she said.
She works in the office at Luverne Health and Wellness, where Allan has become the greeter and entertainer when he’s off leash (which means he’s not working and he may play.)
“He’s great with kids, even though he’s never been around kids,” Schoneman said, adding that she’s grateful for Dr. Codie Zeutenhorst accommodating Allan in the reception area.
She and Allan still spend time bonding. “He never leaves my side,” she said.
Her husband, Brian, shared a photo of Allan snuggled on top of Kim, his furry head on her chest.
Allan will work as a leader dog for eight to 10 years before retiring. “Then he’ll be my pet,” Schoneman said. “And I’ll get another guide dog.”
