Having a guide dog means so much to me. She is not only eyes
to see as mine don’t work, but she is someone to talk to when I am alone and
when I become so suffocated by my four walls, she will come with me which is more
than I can say for humans. She is my shadow my life line. My little honey pot
and my angel with four paws.
Buying a loaf of bread isn’t the same for me as it may be
for you. It’s much more of a challenge. As I have written about before, we have
to let our dogs out before we come out with them, get their harness leash and
doodle bag just in case going out before didn’t happen. Find the right shoes,
not to wear odd ones go around the house to make sure windows are all closed as
we can’t stand in the door way and look like you can. Then we have to wonder which
selfish driver has parked on the path we use to do the only route we know? If
there are any bins left out on the street after collection day? Are there any overhanging
branches to get us in the eyes or thorny shrubs to rip at our skin as we sweep
past them? Hope there are no roads getting dug up or closed off for whatever
reason. Remember the route in our head. Hope our dogs will not be stopped or
bothered by anyone or anything. Distraction is lethal for us.
We get to the shop and hope there will be someone there who
is willing to help us to find what we need. Come home and thank our dogs that
we are safe. Pat them; love them that little bit more if possible. Smile, we
have been able to do that. There is no stopping us. Yes it’s a challenge but
one we must face to survive in this sighted world.
We are so grateful to those who support the dogs who carry
pups for us, who are there during the difficult times of their girls giving
birth and put up with the mess of puppies for us.
Then for the puppy walkers. Puppy parents who get our little
angels at six weeks old. They have the pups from early weeks till over a year
then have to face a really challenging time of saying goodbye to their little
darlings who have chewed up shoes, put holes in carpets, and basically done
things that all puppies do, but these wonderful people do this for us.
We are grateful to Guide Dogs staff who work so hard not only
teaching our dogs to sit or wait at kerbs, learn commands like “Find left, find right, wait, down sit stand
find the door find the post, bus stop and so on.
Grateful to the staff in the offices that pick up the phones
to those in distress who have perhaps woke up that day totally blind. They
answer calls from a Husband who has a blind wife who has just found out she has
cancer and only has weeks to live. What to do with the guide dog of that lady?
A neighbour who has just found the gent next door dead with his guide dog
sitting next to him. These wonderful people sort life out.
Our youngsters are off to University. They are blind and not
only do they have the stresses of going to Uni, but how will they get around?
GD staff sort this out to their best ability.
Guide Dogs get no Government funding and rely on people like
you. Our hero’s in human form.
You could help only an hour per week or a couple of hours
per month would help to change our lives.
Without you, my dog wouldn’t be here. You, make it happen.
For that I like thousands of other people are so grateful.
Please contact your local Guide Dog team. I promise you if
you become a volunteer, you won’t regret it. It’s not all about standing with
buckets, we have moved on and we do so much, but not without you!
Thank you.
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