+
upworthy
More

Guide dogs help serve as their owners' eyes, but a video shows it's much more than that.

'I'm putting my life in the paws of a dog.'

True
Pedigree

It was a day just like any other.

Liz Oleska was getting her son, Logan, ready for school and was on her way to bring him to the bus stop when out of nowhere, a massive headache hit. At a loss, Liz decided to take a nap and rest it off.

When she woke up, however, all she saw was darkness.


Terrified, Liz went to the hospital for help. But the doctors told her there was nothing more they could do. Her eyesight had already been deteriorating for three months due to diabetic retinopathy.

"That's when it hit me," she recalled. "I'm blind."

Everyday tasks like cooking and crossing the street were suddenly difficult and scary to Liz.

"What am I gonna do? How am I gonna live? How am I gonna survive? How am I gonna do this alone as a single mom raising my son?" she asked.

"I thought my life was over ... and then I got Bryce."

Watch the powerful video to be immersed in Liz and Bryce's story:

Liz's new guide dog came into her life like a four-legged ray of hope.

Bryce helped Liz grow her sense of confidence, independence, and pride. And even when times got tough, Bryce stayed by her side no matter what.

"It took me getting Bryce to realize that all I need is to trust myself, that I can make anything happen," Liz said. "Now I stop and think because Bryce has taught me to appreciate things differently. And there's so much that makes me happy — so much that I didn't even realize was out there."

In honor of Blindness Awareness Month, Pedigree is sharing Liz and Bryce's story to highlight how valuable these furry companions can be.

What's made these canine companions so incredible? How did they even learn to be so helpful?

Here are five fascinating things to know about guide dogs:

1. The guide dog training process is, of course, highly specialized.

Image via Pedigree/YouTube.

Each dog is assigned to a trainer who will work with them for at least five months. During that time, the dogs have to go through different phases designed to get them ready for the real world.

First, the trainers reinforce the basics the dogs learned as puppies. Next, the trainers up the ante by introducing obstacles and distractions to make sure the dogs stay on point. After that, the dogs are asked to perform all the tasks they learned without any help. (This step requires a lot of repetition.) Lastly, the dogs are integrated into normal settings and are able to put their training into action.

After that, they can direct their owner to wherever they need to go, avoid any dangerous obstacles, and even distinguish between commands to tell whether it'll put their owner in harm's way. (It's called intelligent disobedience, and it might just be their coolest skill.)

When all is said and done, about 70% of dogs make the cut and can become guide dogs. But don't worry about the others; training centers make sure to find a home or other job for them.

2. You can actually help out in the coolest way.

Image via smerikal/Flickr.

Guide dogs are trained from the moment they're born. But there's a little gap where you can help out and become a puppy raiser.

It'd be your job to raise a puppy! From the time they're 8 weeks old to around 18 months, these puppies need to learn basic obedience skills and manners. You'd also be tasked with making sure these puppies are sociable and exposing them to as many different situations as possible. When they're finally puppy teens, ready for the next step, they head back to the training center.

3. There's an art to selecting the right guide dog for an individual.

Not every guide dog is going to be the perfect match for every person with blindness or visual impairment. There are a lot of crucial factors that need to be considered before they can be paired up properly — age, height, walking speed, environment, personality, breed, etc.

Coordinators have to make sure there's a seamless relationship between guide dog and owner because they operate as a team every single day.

4. There are a few rules on guide dog etiquette.

Image via Pedigree/YouTube.

Many guide dogs are absolutely adorable. But remember that they're also doing a job when you see them out with their owner. So make sure not to distract them with shouting, honking, or feeding. More importantly, never grab the harness or leash from the owner because it will cause disorientation.

If the dog is absolutely irresistible, make sure you ask the owner first if you can have a moment with their guide dog to say hello and pet them.

5. Guide dogs aren't for everyone, but they provide an important service for their handlers.

Image via Pedigree/YouTube.

In addition to making daily tasks easier, guide dogs can help their owners gain more confidence as they move about the world together.

They help serve as their owners' eyes. But more importantly, they're giving them a whole lot of heart.

All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

True

A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.
Health

Artists got fed up with these 'anti-homeless spikes.' So they made them a bit more ... comfy.

"Our moral compass is skewed if we think things like this are acceptable."

Photo courtesy of CC BY-ND, Immo Klink and Marco Godoy

Spikes line the concrete to prevent sleeping.


These are called "anti-homeless spikes." They're about as friendly as they sound.

As you may have guessed, they're intended to deter people who are homeless from sitting or sleeping on that concrete step. And yeah, they're pretty awful.

The spikes are a prime example of how cities design spaces to keep homeless people away.

Keep ReadingShow less
via YouTube/ClubRandom

Bill Maher and Julian Lennon discuss The Beatles on the "Club Random" podcast.

Julian Lennon, son of Beatle John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia, had a candid, two-hour conversation with Bill Maher on a recent episode of his “Club Random” podcast. During their intimate talk, Julian discussed his complicated feelings about being the subject of one of The Beatles' most famous songs, “Hey Jude.”

“Hey Jude” was written by Paul McCartney while driving to the Lennons’ house to comfort them after John Lennon left Cynthia for Yoko Ono in 1968. The song is credited to the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership, which by ‘68 mainly had splintered.

Keep ReadingShow less
Education

Mother of 7 stunned to learn the ‘Alphabet Song’ has been changed to get with the times

There's a good reason for the update. But it's jarring, to say the least.

Jessica Skube can't believe that they changed the 'Alphabet Song.'

The oldest published version of the melody to the “Alphabet Song” was in 1761. However, because it’s the same melody as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” it's hard to trace it to its original composer.

The “Alphabet Song” is so deeply entrenched in American culture that it almost seems sacrilegious to change a piece of music that’s one of the first most of us ever learned. But after all these years, some educators are altering the classic melody so that there is a variation when the letters L-M-N-O-P are sung.

This change shocked popular TikTokker Jessica Skube, who documents life raising 7 children with her 2.6 million followers. Nearly 10 million people have watched her video revealing the significant change, and it’s received over 56,000 comments since first being published in late 2020.

Keep ReadingShow less

Gen Zer asks what older generations did before Google

Google and smart phones have been around so long that Gen Z doesn't know a time before those things existed. They may have Googled what a card catalog was used for but plenty of them don't know the pressure we all felt having to learn the dewy decimal system while walking around the library with a card with numbers scribbled on it.

They've never experienced the frustration of having an out of date Encyclopedia collection from the thrift store that was missing books "D" and "X-Z" when you had a research assignment due. Oh, sweet tech savvy - we not me generation, doesn't understand that riding shot gun on a road trip meant you were suddenly a pirate with an Atlas map bigger than the dashboard.

Even as someone that was alive when having a rotary phone was the norm, I sometimes forget what life was like before all of the technological luxuries. It's not surprising that Gen Z is confused on how we survived back then without knowledge at our fingertips, so when one of them asked, Gen X, Xennials and elder Millennials entered the chat.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Doting husband serves as stylist for his wife of 25 years and it's the sweetest thing

The way he talks about "Flower"—his nickname for his wife—is a testament to lasting love.

Talk about an adorable couple

If there's one thing pretty much all humans love, it's love—love that works, love that lasts, love that inspires. Literature is full of love stories filled with heartache and heartbreak, but we always hold out hope that a relationship will not only endure but blossom.

Such a love feels rare enough that we marvel when we see it, which is why the Motivat family has gained a loyal following on Instagram. The elder Motivats (Dr. Jones and Dr. Beatrice) have been married for 25 years, and their daughter shares their sweet interactions on the Instagram account @queenmotivat.

One of the hallmarks of the couple's long-time love story is that Dr. Jones loves to pick out clothes for his wife. And not just any clothes—beautiful dresses and gowns, along with jewelry to go with them—and his enthusiasm for seeing "Flower" (his nickname for her) dressed up is incredibly sweet.

Keep ReadingShow less

Know the signs of a domestic abuser.

Most abusers don't start their relationships by hitting their partners. That's why early warning signs are vital to recognize.

I know two women who recently left abusive partners. Both men seemed sweet and likable—even gentle—each time I saw them. Both had some lovely qualities as people and even as partners. And both turned out to be controlling, increasingly abusive partners behind closed doors.


Keep ReadingShow less