My Guide Dog And Me

Wagging Tales

I was registered blind from birth in 1978 albeit with some peripheral eyesight.

As I got older, my remaining eyesight deteriorated and since I was having problems getting around,  I thought I should apply for a Guide Dog.  The decision was made for me when I broke my nose for the second time walking into somebody!

My only previous experience of owning an animal was a budgie, so I was very nervous about applying, but the staff at Guide Dogs could not have been more helpful, and after  initial assessments and some mobility work, in 2012 I was told they had a perfect match for me.  Ralph, a yellow labrador retriever cross, was, they said, “still a bit daft and immature.” I didn’t quite know how to take that!

My 2 weeks residential training with Ralph were done in the unfamiliar surroundings of Middlesbrough (I live in Skipton).  On our first day we came across an unconscious person lying in the road, on the second two “scantily clad” (according to my instructor) women walked past us shrieking and on the third a man pursued us for about half a mile shouting abuse. I did wonder if these were all tests set up by Guide Dogs, but was assured that they were not!

I qualified as a fully fledged Guide Dog owner in November 2012 and haven’t looked back since. Ralph, who is now 4 years old is a fantastic dog, always full of energy and keen to work.  He is not intimidated by any environments including busy train stations and I have even been through London with him.

The best thing though is that I can visit my parents in France.  Ralph and I have flown there 6 times now. He sleeps soundly on the flight, even throughout turbulence, and he even slept through a landing that I thought might be our last, although he was a little disconcerted when airport firemen boarded the plane and tried to carry us both down the steps.

To understand just how much Ralph and I are in tune, the last time we were in France he managed to navigate me to the only Irish pub in central France, which just shows that travel doesn’t always broaden the mind!

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