guidedogs4.htm

PLEASE BE PATIENT, THIS PAGE MAY TAKE A WHILE TO LOAD

WEB PAGE INDEX
Includes recent updates

Rebecca Albarran with Lilly

Lorri Bernson with Nigel

A PUPPY SPONSORSHIP BECOMES A "LITTLE PRAYER"

When the Litton Management Club in Agoura Hills, Calif. sponsored a guide dog nearly seven years ago, it touched off a remarkable series of events that has changed the lives of at least two people.

GDA encourages individuals, companies and groups to sponsor dogs. With a gift of $3,000, the sponsorship covers the cost of breeding, veterinary care, training equipment, and other necessary supplies for the care and growth of a guide-dog-to-be. We give sponsors photographs and quarterly updates.

When Litton employee Wally Berman was given the privilege of naming the dog Litton sponsored in 1995, he chose the name "Litany" because it was close to Litton and it's a type of prayer.

After training, Litany, a female yellow lab, was matched with Rebecca Albarran. "The day I received her was an answer to my prayers since I was dealing with my own emotional feelings of losing my vision. I always called her 'my little prayer.'"

At her graduation, Rebecca had hoped to meet the people at Litton who sponsored her new friend and ask them how the name of the dog had been chosen. She was disappointed no representatives were able to attend as she also wanted to tell them what a perfect name they had picked, since Litany was the answer to her prayers.

Meanwhile, Litany was changing Rebecca's life. Rebecca was still blind, but with Litany at her side, the young woman felt she could build a new life. Sadly, their time together was brief. Litany had to retire when her confidence was shaken after an aggressive dog incident. Before Rebecca received another guide dog from GDA, she wanted to find a good home for her beloved companion and partner.

She asked her aunt and uncle, both dog lovers, if they would give Litany, Rebecca's little prayer, a place to live out her golden years. They instantly agreed. When Rebecca explained about Litany's name, her uncle informed her that he had once worked for the Litton Corporation. They were both thrilled about the connection.

Rebecca adores her second guide dog, Lilly, but Litany will always hold first place in her heart. That's why part of her email address is "litany." One day, while on a chat list for GDA students and alumni, she received a message from a GDA student, Lorri Berson:

"I noticed your e-mail address contains the word "litany" and I was wondering if you have a guide dog by the name of Litany. The only reason I ask is that my dad worked for the Litton Company and they sponsored a dog. My dad named the dog Litany because it meant a type of prayer and it was close to the Litton name. It's a small world and you never know, so I thought I'd ask."

When Rebecca received the message she could scarcely catch her breath. All she could say was "I cannot believe this, oh my goodness, I cannot believe this." She wrote back to Lorri and they soon discovered that it was, in fact, Lorri's father who had given Litany such an apt name.

At the time he had named the dog, he was unaware that some day his daughter, Lorri, would face vision loss and also need an answer to her prayers. When Lorri told him about Rebecca, he was pleased. He had always wondered who received Litany and how it all worked out. Rebecca was able to tell him how much the little prayer meant to her.

Today, Lorri has her own guide dog, Nigel, and she and Rebecca have become best friends. They still marvel at the remarkable connections in the story of Litany, a guide dog that was a prayer.

This wonderful story is also a great example of the kind of good that can come from a sponsorship of a guide dog. When Rebecca's uncle and Lorri's father compared notes, they realized they had both worked at Litton Corporation in the early 60's. They shared pride that their employer had started such a joyful chain of events by making a special donation to sponsor a guide dog.

If you would like to sponsor a guide dog, call us at (818) 362-5834, ext. 226 for more information. Who knows whose prayers you might answer.