Meet Michele and guide dog Mister P
Michele hugs Mister P’s neck.
Michele walks with Mister P in harness through a neighborhood in Bradenton.
Michele Howell and guide dog Mister P
Brandon, FL
It’s not easy for a mom to leave two young daughters for 26 days, especially when it means missing a birthday. But when Michele Howell was able to shop independently for a birthday present for her daughter during a training excursion to the mall—all because of a sweet and caring yellow Labrador named Mister P—she knew it was worth coming to Southeastern Guide Dogs.
Michele’s progressive vision loss from retinitis pigmentosa made her more and more uncomfortable trying to navigate on her own. “It just got to where I started staying inside unless I went out with my family,” she shares. When her husband encouraged her to pursue getting a guide dog, the family was surprised to learn that Southeastern Guide Dogs was almost in their backyard, not far from their home in Brandon, Florida.
“I have already noticed a difference,” Michele says about working with Mister P. “I feel more comfortable, not as afraid getting out. I’m hoping that I can go get the girls from school again, or go to the store and get things we need instead of having to call my husband. I feel more independent and more useful again.”
