Bobbi Bubier has never let her visual impairment keep her from doing whatever she puts her mind to.
At 19 years old, Bubier’s retinas bilaterally detached. Multiple surgeries on both eyes helped, but she was left without peripheral vision. At 28, a concussion suffered during a fall took her remaining vision. It was 1972 and this single mother of two children, ages 5 and 6, was determined that her kids not look at her handicap, but rather her ability. She knew it was “mission accomplished” when her now-grown son said to her, “Growing up we knew you were blind, but we never really looked at it that way. We never realized you were that blind.”
Bubier graduated from GDA with her first guide dog Wicket, in 1984. She has returned to the school four times and graduated with her fifth guide dog, Honora, in December 2012. In that time she also raised her two children and a foster child; wrote four romance novels; and, two years ago, found a romance in her own life.
Bubier’s very real romance with Richard could easily be titled “Puppy Love.” When a bad knee sent her to rehab, her pastor sent Richard to walk Bubier’s new guide. He came to the rehab facility every day to walk Caddy and soon the couple found themselves taking a walk together…down the aisle.
When Bubier is asked why she comes all the way out to California from Maine for a guide dog, she tells people, “At GDA I get to be a part of this wonderful family. I have worked with several trainers more than once. I know them and they know me. Everyone is so compassionate and encouraging. Even though we are a part of a class, they give each student so much personal attention and work to accommodate our needs.”
