recommended grooming services

Are you looking for an affordable groomer in the Summerville/Ridgeville, SC area?

A friend of the Dixie Land Guide Team highly recommends “Scissors-n-Suds”, owned and operated by Amber McMahon out of her home, located off of Bacon’s Bridge Road in Summerville, SC 843-312-5028.

Amber offers full grooming services, and understands the need for service animals to stay together with their handlers. She takes one appointment at a time, giving each dog her full, undivided attention.

Each dog who comes in gets Shampoo, conditioner, nails trimmed and filed and ears cleaned. As of this posting, Amber charges around $18 or $20 for larger dogs, like Labs, and around $40 for larger dogs also needing a haircut or “shave down”.

Anyone wishing to make an appointment during the week should call at least one day in advance. For Saturday appointments, please call at least one week ahead of time.

This is not a paid advertisement. If you know of a service that you think would be helpful to handlers of guide dogs or other service animals, please let us know!

It's a girl!

Pictured here is Dixie Land GDU President, Nancy Moore with her new guide, Giza. Nancy and Giza were just matched on the Oregon campus of Guide Dogs for the Blind, this past Monday, February 15. Both are doing well, looking forward to coming home and exploring Charleston.

Newly-retired guide, Luna is learning to enjoy going for car rides, leisurely walks and just hanging out with her "Daddy", Dixie Land's "First Dude", Max.

Our congratulations, and best wishes for the "First Family"!

Top Dog Goes Whole Hog in Charleston!

On January 15, over one hundred guide dog users, cane users, sighted puppy raisers and other friends of the blindness community from across the United States and Canada gathered at the Best Western on Spring Street in Downtown Charleston for Top Dog, 2010. Dixie Land Guide Dog Users take great pride in having hosted this event, in partnership with Guide Dog Users of Florida, North Carolina Paws, and the Charleston, SC Association for the Blind. From beginning to end, this weekend was filled with fun, food, fellowship and furries (working guide dogs, future guides with their puppy raisers and retired guides with their forever people).



Thanks to a wonderful nightly rate provided by the Best Western, many people came in early, just to enjoy Charleston. We began registering folks on Thursday afternoon, January 14. All of our registered guests received a goodie bag, a program in either Braille, large print or electronic format and a commemorative Top Dog T-shirt and cap.



Opening Ceremonies began on Friday the 15th. The festivities were ushered in by The Presentation of the Colors, with descriptive narration provided by John Johnston. Three of our Lowcountry Blind Youth, Shelby, Taylor and Brianna led us in the singing of our National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance and an Opening Invocation, respectively. A zany but extremely heartfelt Awards Ceremony followed, as Top Dog Funvention Chairman Audrey Gunter joined Program Chairman Laurel Jean Walden in presenting plaques to over twenty friends of the blindness community. Recipients included some of our nations top guide dog schools, along with other individuals, businesses and organizations. We wrapped up the evening with a reception, heavy snacks and lively music!

Saturday morning began with a bagged hot breakfast. Our first session of the day, The Blessing of the Guides was officiated by Pastor Don ClenDaniel of Grace United Methodist Church here in Charleston. An alternate river walk was available to those who did not wish to participate in the Blessing. Three other sessions followed: “Maintaining Healthy Guides” by local veterinarian Dr. Ruth Roberts; “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, an interactive panel discussion between blind youth and seasoned cane and guide dog users; and “Protecting Your Identity” by representatives of Prepaid Legal Services.



After a bagged lunch, the day’s events were far from over! The line for our first descriptive narrated Charleston bus tour formed in the hotel lobby, while outside in the rain, the Charleston Fliers were busy with their tandem bikes. Seventy bus tour spaces were reserved in all, and thirty brave blind guests took a seat behind a sighted pilot on a tandem bike!



For those who chose not to venture out, there was plenty to see and do inside! Our Exhibit Hall featured eighteen vender booths. Guests visited with several of the nation’s top guide dog schools, learned about services available to the blindness community, did a little shopping among blind artisans and musicians, and even took a “hands-on” look at some interesting critters!



On Saturday evening, Top Dog truly went Whole Hog! Two dinner-theater style seatings featured a BBQ Buffet Roundup, complete with Live dinner music and special guest Michael Viljac (AKA Elvis)!



The evening was a tremendous success, thanks especially to our many sighted volunteers!

On Sunday, folks began heading home. A bagged continental breakfast and an optional non-denominational Worship Service of praise and song rounded out this amazing weekend!

Top Dog Charleston featured and honored at least 6 of the major guide dog schools; honored 24 various individuals and organizations for their continued support of the blindness community; provided outlets for 18 separate vendors, blind and sighted, at our Exhibit Hall; offered 70 folks their personal narrated tours of historic downtown Charleston on a nice, comfortable bus; afforded the opportunity for 4 pastors (2 of whom were blind) to bless at least 80 current and former guides; boosted the local economy by filling over 220 hotel rooms that would have normally remained empty, and eating at the many restaurants around the downtown area; allowed at least 30 of our blind guests the once-in-a-lifetime chance to ride on the back of a tandem bicycle through the streets of Charleston, (despite the rain); all the while employing and promoting a blind catering company, 2 blind musicians, 2 blind pastors, a blind masseuse, a blind woodworker, a blind jewelry maker and a blind public speaker. In addition to all of this, we included several of our local blind and sighted youth in all of our activities, recognizing the effect blindness has on a family. We transported at least 40 guests and their guides, current or future, from and to the airport at no charge, thereby reducing the already incredibly low costs for our attendees, allowing them a greater financial freedom to travel to our fair city. All of this and so much more would not have been possible without the devotion of our volunteers, the generosity of our sponsors, and the enthusiasm of our courageous guests! To everyone, and the dedicated workers of Dixie Land: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Sharing Christmas Joy!

Taylor stands at the altar of Grace Church, where shoeboxes full of goodies have been collected and blessed for Operation Christmas Child.

Last July, Dixie Land Guide Dog Users was honored to help sponsor the Camp Lakewood Vacation Bible School for Blind Youth, a production of Music By Laurel Jean. Youth attending had the opportunity to earn money toward a Walmart shopping trip to purchase items for their very own shoebox contributions to Samaritan’s Purse.

Saturday, November 14 marked a special Camp Lakewood reunion, held at Grace United Methodist Church. On this day, the Camp Lakewood Class of two youths was greeted by Miss Susan, another sighted angel volunteer, who led us in a time of sharing and fellowship as we decorated and stuffed a total of six shoeboxes!

On Sunday, November 22, Taylor represented Camp Lakewood at Grace UMC in the 11:00 AM service. During the Blessing of Shoeboxes, he was recognized and asked to come forward, placing one of his shoebox contributions on the altar with the others from Camp Lakewood and from the congregation (84 boxes in all).

Our thanks to all who have helped make Camp Lakewood Possible, as we continue to teach our blind youth the importance of giving back to our community and remembering those less fortunate around the world.

Celebrating White Cane Day

Our president, Nancy More, joins one of Charleston’s blind youth in taking a hands-on look at our country’s flag. October 15, 2009 marked the first time that many area blind and visually impaired folks had ever really “seen” the American Flag, one of many exhibits featured at a special celebration of White Cane Day, 2009 in Charleston, SC.

October 15th is recognized internationally as White Cane Safety Awareness Day. This day is set aside to recognize the white cane and to teach sighted people about the purpose and use of the white cane by the blind.

Dixie Land Guide Dog Users proudly assisted in hosting this White Cane Day celebration, with Laurel Jean serving as the event’s Master of Ceremonies. Blind folks of all ages met at the Visitor’s Center on Meeting Street Downtown. After a walk to Francis Marion Square, the program continued with a narrated presentation of The Colors. Elementary and secondary students were awarded for their participation in a story contest featuring the long, white cane. Congratulations to First Place Winner, Brianna Murray, who received a full scholarship to our Top Dog, 2010 as part of her prize package!

Following the Awards Ceremony, God’s “outa sight” kids of all ages offered a variety of musical selections.

After the program, folks were treated to snacks and several different exhibits, including the flag shown above, with raised stars and stripes which could be touched! This exhibit was inspired by Taylor, who took his first “hands-on” look at our country’s flag when last summer’s Camp Lakewood Vacation Bible School for blind youth toured Grace United Methodist Church.

The Color Guard honored the ministry of Music By Laurel Jean, producer of Camp Lakewood, presenting her with this White Cane Day Flag at the conclusion of the day’s festivities.

Our thanks to the Charleston Chapter of the American Council of the Blind for allowing Dixie Land Guide Dog Users to help sponsor White Cane Day, 2009. On this day, we celebrated God’s gifts: not only our independence as blind individuals, but also the freedom that we know as citizens of The United States of America.