Blinded Airman gets a helping paw

Bloomfield, Conn. (WTNH) - An Air Force veteran who lost his sight while serving in Afghanistan will be getting help from a guide dog, thanks to two Connecticut non-profits.

The guide dog, trained by the Fideleco Guide Dog Foundation in Bloomfield, was made possible by a Newman's Own Foundation grant, the charity founded by Connecticut's own Paul Newman.

22-year old Air Force Senior Airman Michael Malarsie has been in Bloomfield this week, working with the dogs and trying to find the best one for him.

"All I know of what to do with one of these dogs is to say, 'forward, left, right,' but it's been great," he said.

Malarsie was on a routine foot patrol in Afghanistan's Kandahar province in January when he was injured.

"In Michael's case, he was fortunate. In one case, he survived the IED that killed four of his friends, but he lost his eyesight in Afghanistan and we're honored to provide him with a new set of eyes -- a Fidelco guide dog," said Eliot Russman, Executive Director, Fidelco Guide Dogs.

Although his life will never be the same as it was before the injury, a guide dog will provide Michael with a much higher quality of life.

"I feel like I can't walk like I used to when I'm walking with my cane -- it's really slow and I have it takes a lot of time. Walking with these dogs I am at my normal pace again, it's almost like I'm running," he said.

It takes two years and costs about $45,000 to train the dogs. The $100,000 grant from Newman's Own Foundation was money specifically for veterans who have lost their sight. Fidelco has received nearly $400 thousand from Newman’s Own Foundation since 1997.