National Guide Dog Awareness Month
Spotlight on guide dog max
by Korinne Herlth
Max
Korinne & Max
I wanted to share about my guide dog. Max was my guide dog and cross-trained to do various service dog tasks for my other medical conditions, such as balance support, item retrieval, deep pressure therapy, medical alert and response for seizures, allergy detection for peanuts, and more. As a guide dog, Max’s job was to navigate me around obstacles, stop for curbs and stairs, find a chair, counter, stairs, elevators, specific people such as my parents or boyfriend, and so much more. He was an exceptional partner, and he kept me safe numerous times.
Max exhibited intelligent disobedience, where he made a better decision against my commands or instruction to keep me safe, for example, when I asked him to walk forward after I carefully listened and assessed traffic flow, determined it was safe to cross, and wanted him to proceed forward for us to cross the street, Max refused to cross the street, right as a car came driving fast through the crosswalk. Guide dogs are trained to disobey specific commands if it puts their handler in danger, such as not going forward when asked if there is a posed threat, such as an oncoming car that the handler didn’t hear or that appeared out of nowhere. He was very loyal and dedicated to his job and me, and I could never have asked for a better guide, service dog, and best friend.
I prefer to navigating with a guide dog over using my white cane because I can move around obstacles effortlessly and have a companion who acts as my eyes to navigate the world. He gave me a new sense of independence and confidence traveling as a team, knowing he had my back and was my eyes, navigating me safely through the world. I could travel, graduate high school, work internships and jobs, attend conferences, and more confidently and safely because of all of the tasks Max did as my guide dog and service dog.
We have done a few educational public presentations on guide dogs and service dogs. I use social media platforms to raise awareness, educate, and share my journey as a guide and service dog handler. Unfortunately, Max passed away in November 2022 at almost 14 years old. I am forever grateful for everything Max did to keep me safe, and I know that I would not be where I am today as a college student, self-advocate, and disability and guide/service dog advocate if it weren’t for him.
Check out more of Korinne’s story with Max 🐾, Milo 🐾, & Bodhi 🐾 (@doodleonduty) • Instagram
