Thunder Dog

Thunder Dog

Don’t panic. That might seem easy for me to say since I can’t see the flames, smoke, and debris out the window like David. Here’s the blind guy telling him to do something contrary to what his eyes and his instincts are telling him. I have a good imagination and I understand what’s going on as much as anyone else could understand such an unexpected and catastrophic event.
But what David doesn’t understand is that I have a piece of information he does not have. When the debris began to fall and the flames leaped out of the floors above us, and even while the people in the conference room screamed, Roselle sat next to me as calm as ever. She does not sense any danger in the flames, smoke, or anything else that is going on around us. If she had sensed danger, she would have acted differently. But she does not. I choose to trust Roselle’s judgment and so I will not panic. Roselle and I are a team.
We direct our guests to evacuate using the stairwell and I ask David to go with them to make sure they find the stairs. While he’s gone, I call Karen. “There’s been an explosion of some sort. We’re okay, but we’re leaving the building now.” She’s anxious, so I keep my voice calm. “David, Roselle, and I are together. We’re going to take the stairs.” I tell her I will call again as soon as possible but I have to go.
David returns and we set to work shutting down our computer servers and demo libraries. At this point, we have no idea what has happened and when we’ll be allowed back in and we want to protect our data. I figure if firefighters are going to come in with fire hoses, it’s best if we cut the power to minimize water damage. However, we get anxious and abandon this idea because it’s taking too long to move each piece of equipment to reach the individual power plugs. The minutes we save by deciding to leave now turn out to be important later.
It’s time to leave. I strap on my briefcase and clutch Roselle’s harness. “Forward,” I say, softly.
Forward is used when setting off with the dog in harness and it’s one of the very first commands all Guide Dogs are taught when training begins. You stand with your left foot out alongside the dog first, then synchronize the verbal command “forward” with the forward hand-signal, a short forward motion with the right hand. You wait for the dog to start pulling and when you feel the pull on the harness handle, you take the first step with your right foot.
We move out as one and Roselle guides me carefully through the debris. She stays calm and focused even with things falling on top of her. David, Roselle, and I walk quickly out of the office and head out into the central corridor. People are running around. There is confusion, smoke, and noise.

Excerpt from THUNDER DOG : The True Story Of A Blind Man, His Guide Dog, And The Triumph Of Trust At Ground Zero by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory. Copyright ©2011 by Michael Hingson. Published in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas Nelson. Used with Permission.  All Rights Reserved.