Dog leads Moroccan blind woman to independence

Dog leads Moroccan blind woman to independence A 44-year old Moroccan woman has paved the way towards independence for blind people. Blind mother of three Nozha Moenes can now go to work, for a walk, to her doctor, or anywhere else she wants through the crowded streets of Casablanca depending only on herself and her well-trained Retriever, Eliza.
Being independent has been Nozah's dream for years, but it seemed impossible until she heard of an association which trains dogs to guide blind people, La Mediterranée Foundation, a French-based foundation for training dogs.
"I have always wanted to be free, independent and have the ability to do things by myself I couldn't do in the past. When I heard about using dogs who guide blind people through the streets, I sent an application to the association in 2008 " said Nozha.
Owning a well-trained Retriever was not the end of the story. Nozha had to to be trained to deal with the dog herself in order to reach the level of communication that would grant her what she wanted. She started her training in Nice, France since September 2011. Three months later, her French trainer Laurent Tafirnier  travelled with her to Casablanca to start the second stage of training through the crowded streets of the Moroccan city. Eliza, the Retriever, needed 8 months to integrate all the paths Nozha frequently uses.
Eliza was not the dog that started the first stage of training with Nozha in Nice. Nozha was initially given another dog. Unfortunately the posh dog could not bear the poor hygiene in the streets of Casablanca. According to Nozah, the dog spent its time trying to clear the way of the rubbish rather than guiding his mistress.
Her trainer Mr Tafirnier decided to exchange this dog with Eliza, who he knew would not be bothered by the litter in Casablanca's streets.
In an interview with Arabstoday, Mr Tafirnier said that the Le Mediterranee Foundation is providing the dog and the training free of charge for blind people all over the world.
"We have provided this service to a lot of people in Europe, the United States and Asia, and we are now looking forward to doing some work in Africa as well" he said.
Nozha is currently looking forward to taking Eliza to new places, like her favourite restaurants and supermarkets.