voiceability

  Piper photo by Annie Uyehara Piper the Dog By Annie Uyehara Piper was a handsome, charismatic dog. However, that’s not what made him exceptional. Piper was a dog born and bred to be a guide dog for the blind.  He died in 2016, but Piper is a rare example in our community of what a guide dog does. For 17 years, he was the constant companion and guide for John Barbee, who became blind at 25 years old. John, a Peace Corps volunteer, staffer and later a director in Washington, D.C., died a year before Piper. Piper stayed with John until the last moment, staying beside him at his bed. That’s not only a partnership, but a deeply loving relationship forged between a man and his guide dog.  Piper was trained through KSDS an organization that provides assistance dogs to enhance independence for those with disabilities to be able to fully function in society.  Piper took a bit more training than most dogs. “He didn’t quite pass muster,” says John’s widow, Nancy Barbee. “So he went to a women’s