By Linda Bartram
September is Guide Dog Awareness Month, and I decided to meet with four other AEBC BC Affiliate members over Zoom to talk about our experiences with our dog guides; collectively, 20 of them in fact. Two of us have guide dog number four and six at the moment, one is waiting for her second dog, one is waiting for surgery and hopes to train with her sixth dog once she is recovered, and I retired my fourth and last guide several years ago.
Although every guide dog pair is unique, several common themes emerged as we spoke. We all experienced some challenges but when the match was right, we all agreed that the experience was very liberating.
In this post, I will explore the reasons why we decided to apply for our first guide dog and the benefits we derived from the partnerships.
Rita got her first guide when living in Boston and she felt she would be safer navigating around on her own in the big city with a guide dog. Since she developed arthritis, she is no longer able to use a white cane comfortably. Her fourth dog has learned not only to pause at curbs, stairs and obstacles, but also at tripping hazards such as uneven pavement or roots.
Lisa’s eyesight was deteriorating and she was losing her confidence to navigate independently with a white cane, especially at night. I also identified with this reason to apply for a guide dog. Unfortunately, both our first dogs did not work out and had to be returned after just a few months. Lisa hopes her next guide dog is a better match. My three subsequent dogs certainly were.
Louise has always had physical challenges along with her vision loss and she feels that a guide dog provides the stability she lacks when using a white cane. She can walk with less tension when navigating busy intersections where she may encounter traffic blocking the crosswalk or sudden approaching emergency vehicles with sirens wailing.
With constant construction work in Vancouver, Cathy feels safer navigating these potential danger zones with her sixth guide dog. When using a white cane, she feels she may not detect a hazard until it is too late. Recently, her current dog stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk and when she tentatively put out her hand, she found a sharp object, possibly a saw, unattended and protruding from a bench. She does not feel she would have detected this with her cane and she no doubt would have been injured.
We all agreed that the fact that guide dogs take you around obstacles, is one of the greatest benefits of a guide dog over a white cane. You may detect the obstacle with a white cane but may still bump into it. A guide dog gives you the freedom to walk gracefully rather than bouncing from one obstacle to the next.
We also shared how intuitive our guide dogs can be, finding their way in environments which we are not very familiar with and they may not have visited before--returning back to Rita’s hotel room after a late night potty trip (for her dog); walking to Lisa’s parents’ home for the first time; finding the Post Office where Cathy had a parcel waiting; guiding me across a busy department store from the elevator to the mall exit.
But using a guide dog can also have its challenges. Watch for the next post which speaks to these plus our message to the public.
Featured Image Alt Text: Photo of a dog paw giving a high five to a human hand.