Norine Labitzke

Guide Dog Connections Norine Labitzke

What do an old Labrador from a loving family and a young golden retriever from a prison have in common? Moses, the gentle old Labrador, is about to retire from years of serving Ashley's mother and doesn't want to give up his guide dog post-especially to a girl dog. When he meets the new guide dog, Goldie, Moses is instantly suspicious, jealous, and curious. Even though their backgrounds are different, the two dogs learn that they were both trained to do one important task-help a blind person. While Goldie and Moses are getting used to each other, two fifth grade girls named Ashley and Chloe are developing a friendship. At first, Ashley and the in crowd reject Chloe, because her mother is in prison. As they come to know Chloe, they accept her for who she is, and they learn not to judge others based on their parent's actions. As Ashley and Chloe's friendship blossoms, they discover their lives are intricately connected because of Goldie and Moses. Together Ashley and Chloe learn about people, working dogs, different kinds of blindness, and the obstacles, accomplishments, and varied careers of blind people. The two girls learn to look beyond differences and disabilities and find human qualities of love and compassion-sometimes in unexpected ways.