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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, May 21, 2015 | 6 Gail has never looked back since getting her Audi by Ian Holroyd Oakville Beaver Staff Spotlight "Connected to your Community" G ail Watkins knew Audi was the Dog Guide for her when she learned the golden retriever was born on the same date as her accident. "I call her my angel," said the 65-year-old Oakville resident. Nine years ago, on July 4, Watkins was stepping off a streetcar in Toronto when she fell and hit her head. She suffered a massive brain bleed, which caused total paralysis on her left side. As a result, she was diagnosed with epilepsy and is now prone to seizures. When Watkins was released from the hospital, her life changed drastically. "I became almost like a recluse," she said, as Audi lay peacefully at her feet. "I was afraid to go out. I was living in downtown Toronto and I didn't want to walk the streets because I was living in a very busy area." Watkins said her balance was off and she was afraid she would have a seizure in public, so she didn't leave her home. She fell into a deep depression. A caseworker put her in touch with the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides program and now she and Audi are enjoying a full and active life together. They go to coffee shops, they go shopping in downtown Oakville and they go to the park for walks. Audi is a graduate Audi is a graduate of the Lions Foundation Seizure Response Dog Guide program. These Dog Guides are able to activate an alarm system or bark for help in the event of a seizure. Overall, they allow their handlers the con dence to live independently. "What she does is, if I fall or if I feel I'm going to have a seizure... she'll sit beside me and bark for help and she won't stop barking until somebody comes," said Watkins. "Last winter, I slipped and fell and even though I was with people, she barked automatically. Even though they were there, she barked for them to help me," she added. Sometimes, Watkins said, she just needs her friend close by. "If I get anxious or anything, she comes to my side and she puts her head on my lap and she just comforts me," she said. "She knows instinctively something's wrong or something's When I asked them how much it was going to be and they said, `It's nothing,' I couldn't believe it. What they've given me, you can't even put a price on it, for sure. Gail Watkins bothering me." When Watkins and Audi were rst paired up, the two had to undertake a training program together at the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guide of ces in Oakville over a three-week period. The Lions Foundation has clients in every province and territory across the country and they all travel to Oakville for training. Living together during training Like all Dog Guides and clients, Watkins and Audi lived together at the facility during their training. Meals, accommodations and instruction are all provided for, free of charge. The dog is also provided to the client at no cost to them. "When I asked them how much it was going to be and they said it's nothing, I couldn't believe it," said Watkins. "What they've given me, you can't even put a price on it for sure." The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides is able to offer its services at no cost, in part thanks to the money raised at its annual Purina Walk for Dog Guides. National fundraising walk This is a national fundraising walk that is being held in more than 200 communities across Canada. The money raised helps train Dog Guides for Canadians with visual, hearing, medical or physical disabilities. Oakville's Purina Walk for Dog Guides is scheduled for Sunday, May 31, starting at the Lions Foundation of Canada, 152 Wilson St. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and the walk departs at 11 a.m. All the proceeds from the Purina Walk for Dog Guides support the Dog Guides program. According to the Lions Foundation, the average cost of raising and training each Dog Guide is $25,000. For more information, visit www. purinawalkfordogguides.com. Gail Watkins and her service dog, Audi, pictured outside the Lions Foundation Dog Guides headquarters in Oakville. The foundation will be hosting its annual Purina Walk for Dog Guides Sunday, May 31 in town. | photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) Volume 53 | Number 40 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington (905) 845-3824 Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. NEIL OLIVER Vice­President and Group Publisher DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Halton Region Editor in Chief Editorial Department (905) 845-3824 Advertising Department (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising (905) 632-4444 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 DANIEL BAIRD Director of Advertising ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor