When Alice Stacey returns

to classes at McIntosh High School Monday, she'll be

accompanied by her new best friend, Malcolm, a

17-month-old Golden Retriever.

Malcolm will be the first

animal ever allowed to attend classes with its owner in a

Fayette County school.

Wherever Stacey goes,

Malcolm will precede her, making sure the path is clear.

The two are a team. Malcolm is Stacey's guide dog, a

canine companion whose eyes and ears see and hear for the

18-year-old woman with the soft laugh and white-blonde

hair.

Members of McIntosh's Key

Club lined the halls and filled the stair wells and

classrooms Wednesday to familiarize Malcolm with the

sights and sounds of a typical high school day. Stacey,

who is a senior, put her dog through his paces, carefully

choosing her words. "Malcolm, find classroom,"

she directed. Holding the leather harness, Stacey moved

confidently down the hall, adding another command,

"Malcolm, find first."

Stacey and Malcolm move

into the first classroom and find a desk. "Malcolm,

sit." After a little nudge from Stacey, the dog

settles into a comfortable posture on the floor. Stacey

acquired Malcolm just two weeks ago from Sally Sue

Bradley, founder and trainer of Canine Vision,

headquartered in Senoia. The three-year-old center is the

only site in a five-state area that trains labradors and

retrievers to be guide dogs for vision-impaired people.

The kennel and actual

training school are on 15 acres in Villa Rica, in Carroll

County. "Malcolm started his training at 12

months," Bradley explained. Now Stacey and Malcolm,

under Bradley's watchful eye, are orienting themselves to

school, Stacey's neighborhood, the grocery store, bank

and mall.

steps, a system Stacey developed when she used a cane and

a keen sense of direction, the two can zero in on any

place or any thing. "They even found the peanut

butter at Kroger the other day," Bradley said

proudly.

Stacey was born with a

visual impairment and bilateral hearing loss, but it has

not impeded her progress in making A's in her classes and

ranking 18th in her class of 400 students. Making friends

has not been as easy. "It's been very hard to make

friends," Stacey admitted. In fact, she recalls past

incidents when insensitive students yelled at her to get

out their way.

"I have some good

friends, though," she said.

Listening to books on tape

is one of her favorite things to do. Add that now to

playing with Malcolm. Lunch break for Stacey means

playtime for Malcolm and Wednesday, Bradley and the two

mapped out a spot where he could relieve himself and cut

loose for 30 minutes. Once the harness and canvas panel

which reads, "Please don't pet me, I'm working"

is removed, Malcolm runs with abandon.

A cool drink of water and a

lot of affection from the Key Club and Stacey bring out

his playful nature. "Petting guide dogs when they

are working with their owners can be distracting to

them," explained Bradley, possibly putting their

owners in harm's way.

Malcolm knows how to block

Stacey from entering the street when a car is approaching

and pause before an obstacle. Next week, the two will

ride the school bus, which Stacey hopes will be on time

for Malcolm's sake.

Bradley estimated that the

cost of raising and training a guide is $10,000.

Donations make it possible for people like Stacey to have

a dog and expand her horizons as far as college and

career.

"There are 18,500

visually impaired people in Georgia," Bradley said,

but this is the only school to train dogs.

While she estimated that

only about 2 percent of the vision-impaired population

over 16 make good candidates for having guide dogs, the

numbers are still overwhelming.

Civic organizations like

Kiwanis and Key Club have been active in raising funds

for Canine Vision. For information on Canine Vision, or

to make a donation, phone Sally Sue Bradley at

770-599-0680 or write her at 2305 Luther Bailey Road,

Senoia 30276.

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