Most pet dogs can be trained to a certain degree - you can encourage them to ‘do their business’ in specified places, teach them not pull on their lead, or where you’d like for them to sleep - but many dog owners would be the first to admit that their dogs are all the more lovable because they’re prone to the odd tantrum. Guide dogs however need to be on full alert all of the time. The things these dogs can do defies belief.
I can remember perfectly catching a tube with a blind man and his guide dog a few years ago. The tube was literally packed and yet this man’s guide dog wasn’t over-awed and deftly found the man a seat before resting on the carriage floor between the mans legs. Some guide dog owners prefer you not to touch or fuss over their dogs, but this man was all too happy for us to stroke his. I chatted to the old man throughout our entire journey from Ealing Broadway to the city centre and he gave me a brief history of the dogs he’d worked with and loved. I fell in love with that dog, and was a little taken with his charming and eccentric owner too. I’ve been a fan of the Guide Dogs charity ever since that moment.
Guide Dogs new advert features Jazz and his owner Emma. Jazz was named Guide Dog of the Year in 2013 for saving Emma, Owen and Emma’s other son, eight-year-old Luke. The trio were stood with Jazz at a crossing when Jazz suddenly moved back, taking the three with her. Moments later, a lorry mounted the kerb where they had just been standing. It’s these staggering acts of courage and foresight that make guide dogs so invaluable to the visually impaired. If we consider that every hour someone in the UK goes blind, you start to appreciate just how important the work of the Guide Dogs charity really is, and how one day it could be you, or someone you care about, that needs their help.
I don’t usually post on behalf of charities but wanted to highlight their cause as I know just how expensive, time-consuming and complicated it is to train each and every dog that goes through the academy process. Just 1,500 dogs every year will make it through all the rigorous training and be matched with an owner who really needs them. For just £1 a week you could sponsor a puppy and help this amazing charity continue to make a difference to people’s lives. I know better than some just how tough it is in these times of austerity, but if you can spare anything at all, I know just how appreciated this donation will be.
For more videos or to find out more about the Guide Dogs sponsor a puppy appeal (and the charity itself), then their Youtube page is crammed with information, as is their website.
Disclaimer: I have not been paid or compensated in any way for this post.
