Tracy Lions host a pair of real Leaders

Dogs and Lions in the same room? That was the scene at Swift Lake Park on Tuesday evening when the Tracy Lions hosted Mike Brown, a Lions member from Granite Falls who suffers from a retinal eye disease and is legally blind.

“It’s been a journey for me,” he said from the Lions’ newlook picnic shelter. “I was born with it, but I could see quite well early on.”

Brown’s childhood was by all means a normal one. He did everything his friends could do, like racing motorcycles and playing sports, but his eyesight would slowly deteriorate to the point where he had to use a cane. It was eventually suggested to him by a Lion from Granite Falls to look into getting a Leader Dog.

“I thought, ‘People who can’t see anything need a dog more than I do,’” he said. “But when I went to Leader Dog, it turned out that people who could see more than I could were getting a dog.”

Brown’s dogs come from a company called Leader Dog in Rochester Hills, MI, a nonprofit established in 1939 that operates purely off of donations, some of which come from Lions International.

“It’s quite a few million dollars they donate every year,” Brown said. “Each dog is valued, after training, at about $49,000 — it’s a lot of money, a lot of time spent with the dog.”

Brown’s first dog was named Oscar but his penchant for chasing other dogs cut that relationship short. Then, one of his current dogs, Farley, was brought to Granite Falls, where Brown was able to traing with him in town.

“He is a great guide dog, really good,” said Brown. “It’s a life-changer having a dog like this. Not just a life-changer, but a life-restorer. I’m an active guy, like to get out and about, but it’s hard when you’re tripping over the sidewalk — it’s just not fun to go out, and you become more inclusive and less active.”

Having his dogs — Farley is a 12-year-old yellow lab, and Buddy is an energetic and spirited 2-1/2-year-old lab-golden retriever mix — means Brown is forced to get out, even if he might not want to.

“They’re dogs, they need their exercise, too,” he said. “Sometimes I was forced outside on days I don’t necessarily want to go out, like when it’s 90 degrees.”

Both of Brown’s dogs were prison-raised in Michigan from birth to 12 months. There, the dogs are taught socialization skills and some simple commands.

“After the 12 months in the prison, there’s four more months of training with a focus on how to guide.

“From what I understand, two out of nine dogs make it through the program,” Brown said. “They invest a lot of time and effort into these dogs.”

Brown’s dogs are not just an extension of him, but they help him move through the world safely and with confidence. When Brown got Farley, he was working as a physical therapist assistant in Granite Falls.

“He would go to work with me everyday,” said Brown. “I had his kennel at work, I would take him out for walks and at the end of the day take him home. Once you have a dog, there’s no going back — it wasn’t like after I retired I didn’t need a dog anymore. Walking with a white cane, if you make a mistake you look stupid talking to yourself, but with the dog, at least you’re talking to someone.”

• Brown was a special guest of the Tracy Lions, who used Tuesday’s event to celebrate its picnic shelter. A new stainless steel serving countertop installed by Greg Holland highlights the shelter, which has also been painted since it was moved to the campground area of the park. A sign that is a bit old but doesn’t look it was discovered by Jamie DeSmet and was installed on the west exterior wall of the shelter, and some colorful landscaping has been completed as well.