PINE TREE GUIDE DOG USERS
(PTGDU)

WHAT'S NEW?

• MEETING - The next meeting of the PTGDU will be held on May 2, 2009, from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the High Street Congregational Church, 106 Pleasant Street, Auburn.
  
  Directions from Augusta to the High Street Congregational Church: Take the Maine Turnpike to Exit 80, Lewiston. From the exit ramp, get onto Lisbon Street/Route 196 west. Follow Lisbon Street to the end and turn left onto Main Street. After crossing the river, continue on through two traffic lights. After the second traffic light, take the second left onto Pleasant Street. The High Street Congregational Church will be on your left. Please park in the first parking lot. From the parking lot, enter through the double glass doors leading into the back of the church.
  
  Directions from Portland to the High Street Congregational Church: Take the Maine Turnpike to Exit 75, Auburn. At the end of the exit ramp, turn left onto Washington Street/Route 202. Stay on Route 202 for about five miles. Follow Route 202 when it turns right onto Court Street in Auburn (Denny's Restaurant will be on the right). Take Court Street through the first traffic light and then take the first right after that onto Pleasant Street. The High Street Congregational Church will be on your left. Please park in the first parking lot. From the parking lot, enter through the double glass doors leading into the back of the church.
  
  The Ladies Guild will be serving us lunch. Lunch will cost $10.00 per person. If you have any questions, call Bobbi LaChance at 795 8999.
  
• Hope Paulos, a PTGDU member, recently completed a half marathon in Florida. Listen to Hope’s interview discussing the event on the ACB Radio program "Blind Like Me" in the "Our Stories" section of this web site.
• Sue Martin adds to the collection of PTGDU members' growing number of articles about their guides in "Beverly Crosses the Rainbow Bridge", an article about the passing of her third guide.
• PTGDU member Anja Geleney joins the ranks of members who contribute stories about their guide dogs. Read "From Cane to Guide Dog" in our Stories section.
• Information about accommodations for service animals at Fenway Park as well as State of Maine sales tax exemptions has been posted in the GUIDE DOG INFORMATION AND RESOURCES section of this web site.
• The current PTGDU Board of Directors:
  • President - Pauline Lamontagne
  • 1st Vice President - Lynn Duplessis
  • 2nd Vice President - Patti A. Sarchi
  • 2 year Board Member - Bobbie-Jo LaChance
  • 2 year Board Member - Ferne Davenport
  • 1 year Board Member - vacant
  • 1 year Board Member - Marjie Awalt
  • Treasurer - Anne Poland
  • Secretary - Anja Geleney

OUR ORGANIZATION

Pine Tree Guide Dog Users (PTGDU) is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote the well-being of dog guide users in Maine. Founded in 1997 with some financial support from the American Council of the Blind of Maine and a lot of energy and hard work from our founding members, PTGDU includes folks who are dog guide handlers, folks who raise puppies destined to become dog guides, and folks who are interested in working dogs of all kinds.

Pine Tree Guide Dog Users is an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, the American Council of the Blind of Maine, and of the Guide Dog Users, Inc.

OUR MEETINGS

The Pine Tree Guide Dog Users hold quarterly meetings in various locations in Maine. Meetings are scheduled on the first Saturday of February, May, August, and November. Meetings generally consist of a luncheon with a guest speaker followed by a business meeting. All members of PTGDU are encouraged to attend our meetings. If you have an issue that you would like to discuss, please contact our President, Pauline Lamontagne, at nera2@myfairpoint.net.

OUR MEMBERS

Our members come from throughout the State of Maine and their dog guides have trained at a number of the many dog guide schools located in the United States. Here are some of the schools at which our PTGDU members have trained:

OUR NEWSLETTER

Read past editions of our cleverly titled newsletter, the Pine Tree Barker.

OUR STORIES

So, what's it like to work and live with a dog guide? Read the writings of some of our members and others on this subject.

GUIDE DOG INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Find links to all sorts of information about guide dogs on this page.

PTGDU MERCHANDISE

PUPPY RAISERS

If you live in Maine and are interested in raising a puppy destined to become a guide dog, you can contact Pat Webber at 207-338-5520 or pweb@gwi.net.

WEBSITE INFORMATION

The space for the PTGDU website is generously donated by the good folks at Downeast.Net.

This website is designed to be accessible to users of assistive technologies such as screen readers and screen magnifiers, to persons who use dial-up modems, and to persons who use older technologies. The website does this by trying to comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Guidelines. If you experience any problems with the use of this website or if you have recommendations for additions or corrections to its content, please contact Lynn Duplessis at lyndup@yahoo.com.

Revised 2/28/2009