Meet Robert and guide dog Hap
Whitey stands with guide dog Hap at a street corner.
Robert “Whitey” Adams and guide dog Hap
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Whitey Adams knows a golf ball better than the back of his hand, and when he couldn’t see the ball land, he saw a doctor to get glasses. But retinitis pigmentosa was the culprit, so Whitey’s new golfing buddy is now a snuggly black Labrador named Hap, his first guide dog.
Loss of vision meant a tougher time walking the 500 yards from home to the golf course where he drives balls each morning. It meant giving up driving, something he’s missed since 1986. And it meant changing careers over the years for this Army veteran, first as a golf professional running pro shops and giving lessons or driving a UPS truck and backing in to too many cars and mailboxes. One thing his vision didn’t steal was his 11 lifetime holes-in-one or his 61 straight years of attending the Masters, where Jack Nicklaus always stops to say hello.
With Hap’s help, Whitey looks forward to having more freedom walking to and around the golf course. He looks forward to being able to navigate in stores on his own, without having to rely on Joan, his wife of 53 years. After loving and saying goodbye to many dogs over the years, he’s thrilled that he, his wife, and their son and daughter will enjoy Hap’s companionship. About his experience with Southeastern Guide Dogs, he says, “Precision personified, fantabulous and unbelievable!”
