Free eye exams in Lynnwood help keep service dogs on the job
By Chris Fyall Herald Writer
LYNNWOOD -- Otto can pick up his owner's fallen credit cards, her car keys, her crutches. Sometimes, he evens pushes elevator buttons for her.
But Otto, a beautiful 9-year-old chocolate Lab, cannot do any of that without good eyesight.
That's why Karen Hazelrigg, who has post-polio syndrome, brought him to Dr. Susan Jacobi at Lynnwood's VCA Veterinary Speciality Center of Seattle for a free checkup Tuesday afternoon.
Jacobi is an animal eye doctor and is volunteering her time for the service dogs this week. The exams normally cost $135. She is one of about 150 veterinary ophthalmologists across the United States and Canada participating in a program sponsored by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.
More than 1,500 dogs are signed up across North America, veterinary college officials said. Registration closed on April 30.
Protecting the vision of service dogs is the program's goal.
"Our hope is that by checking these animals' vision on the national day of service, we will be able help a large number of dogs better assist their human friends," said Stacee Daniel, the program's executive director.
With a dog as patient as Otto, an eye exam is a relatively simple affair. Jacobi gave him various eye drops and shined a series of lights into his eyes. Through it all, Otto wagged his tail like it was his job.
After 45 minutes, he got a clean bill of health. Mostly.
If he were a voracious reader -- instead of a dog -- he might need reading glasses, Jacobi said. Of course, that's normal for a dog his age, she said.
Otto's health didn't come as a surprise for Hazelrigg.
After his last blood test, things looked so good that doctors half-wondered if Otto hadn't cheated, Hazelrigg said.
"He apparently has the blood of a 2-year-old," she said.
Still, it was important to hear that his eyesight was solid, too.
Hazelrigg and her husband, Nigel, drove all the way from Point Roberts, the peninsula near the Canadian border, for their appointment.
The checkup was worth the hassle.
"It is a great offer," Hazelrigg said. "Otto is a great dog."
