Gangster, one man’s best friend

SURE HAND:
Andy Anderson of Cottonwood shows off some of his carpentry work, as his seeing-eye dog, Gangster, rests nearby.

Andy Anderson smiled as he pulled from the table a toy truck he built from wood at his Cottonwood home. Some people have questioned the combination of saws, drills, and blindness.

“My friends ask me, ‘How do you dare do that?’” Anderson said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years. I make semi-trucks, dump trucks and logging trucks for my grandchildren.”

Aside from the toys built for his grandchildren, he has also made a fine cabinet and has refinished another.

“I can see just enough to get in trouble,” he said. “I can read an article if it’s very interesting.”

Most of the time, however, he uses a seeing aid that magnifies whatever is placed under a camera onto a television screen.

He has other implements to aid him, such as a talking watch and books on tape, but his most precious resource is his seeing-eye dog, Gangster, a yellow Labrador and golden retriever cross breed.

Anderson was paired with Gangster by Leaderdogs for the Blind, a guide-dog school founded by Lions Club members in 1939. The organization assigns about 300 dogs per year. All are free of charge.

Anderson lost his eyesight and a leg to diabetes. With his prosthesis, he moves slowly, so the mild-mannered Gangster was the best fit for him.

While training with Gangster at Leaderdogs at their grounds in Michigan, the organization also paid for his room and board.

“It’s a great organization, they don’t charge anything,” he said.

Anderson recently retired from the Vision Resource Center in Redding, where he worked as a guidance counselor. He is well acquainted with the needs and concerns of blind people in the area.

He said that not many people were aware of the Leaderdog program, but those who have taken advantage of the program were very happy with its results.

Those wanting a Leaderdog must fill out an application, be legally blind an pass a screening test. The working life of a Leaderdog is eight years, after which a client may return for another dog.

Gangster is Anderson’s second Leaderdog, and he praised the organization for how much it has done for him.

“I haven’t enough to say about Leaderdogs,” Anderson said. “They help blind people become independent.”

While wearing the harness, Gangster is attentive to Anderson, although still not thoroughly trained.

“He still needs some work,” Anderson said, after telling the two-year-old to sit three times before complying.

When the two are walking together, Gangster will turn left or right, depending on hand signals from his handler.

Once Anderson removed the harness from Gangster, the dog was considered, more or less, at ease.

“Now he’s all dog,” Anderson said as Gangster wagged his tail, free to roam and sniff.

Leaderdogs for the Blind also offers computer skills, white cane, and GPS talking tool training for the blind. For more information, call (888) 777-5332.