Hey! Following my first Vlog (I'm still trying to format it so I can upload onto my site lol, sorry!) I wanted to take the opportunity to tell the story I've been on so far with guide dogs.
Going back 10 years to the beginning of the story. It feels so surreal even typing that because it cannot believe it has been 10 years! Anyway, I went on the waiting list for a guide dog following a week long trip with a charity that support blind and visually impaired kids and their families. There was a volunteer for guide dogs there, and after having a very serious conversation with her, she passed on my information and the process was started.
I was very lucky not to be on the waiting list for too long before there was a dog that could have been a match for me. Matching with the right dog is super important. They need to fit into your lifestyle and be able to handle whatever situation you are living with.Their characteristics needs to match yours and even your walking speeds need o be thought about before you can confirm if the dog is right for you.
About a year had gone by, I had helped my Guide dog mobility instructor (GDMI) with taking a few puppies on training walks. Mostly because of my age, we wanted to expose me to the guide dog world as much as we could before a dog was found for me. When the call came though that a potential pooch had been found for me I was over the moon! A week or so after the call I got to meet Rory! The fluffiest Golden retriever you have ever seen (ironic statement I know) So we had a walk, it was amazing and then we had lots of things to talk about. I needed Rory to fit into a very busy and stressful lifestyle.
I was living at home with my 2 Sisters, my Brother, 3 Step Brothers, my Mum and Step Dad and our pet Staffie Snoop! I was also attending one of the biggest secondary schools in he country with about 2000 students. So thankfully it was decided that Rory would be the dog for me, and thank god because I loved him already haha! Once you are matched with a dog, you go through training with them. This is done a little differently depending on your situation but for me it meant staying away for a week in a hotel with my Mumma and of course Rory boy. I was also going through my training with another young handler, Molly. It was amazing to go through the experience with someone else that was dealing with similar things to me. You learn all kinds of commands. How to keep up obedience with your dog. How to trust them and what you need to do to support the dog as they support you. When the training in complete, your guide dogs gets to come home with you and you officially qualify as a guide dog partnership. When I qualified with Rory, I was the youngest person in the UK to have a guide dog. I was 13 at the time.
Rory totally changed my life, within a matter of weeks I found my independence. I used to walk everywhere linking arms with my mum, feeling very embarrassed of that and my white cane. My best and earliest memory with Rory was the day I took myself on the bus, to the city centre in MK and met my pals. we literally just mooched round the shops and no doubt got a Maccies but it was honestly one of the most life changing days!
Rory and I of course went everywhere together. I did some awareness work with guide dogs directly and worked together well for a good few years. Rory saw me through the start of my GCSEs, 2 annual camps with the army cadets, countless shopping trips, late nights and so, so many cuddles. Everyone knows that dogs are a mans best friend but when that dog is responsible for your safety and you give your full trust into them when you walk out the front door every day, it really is more than just a friendship. Its a bond that you cant really explain but I knew I couldn’t live without him. When things started changing in his behaviour, I took such a hit. I got guide dogs involved as soon as I could to try and find out why things were going wrong.
Out on walks with Rory whilst he was in harness is where the issues were. We would be walking along, any kind of route or scenario and he would start slowing down and eventually stop walking all together. He would just sit there, in the middle of the path, looking up at me like a toddler throwing a strop! I worked with my GDMI and we tried so many different things to encourage Rory to walk. Sometimes dogs can just be a bit stubborn and lazy. Especially Golden Retrievers! We tried using treats, taking shorter walks, giving him a toy to carry whilst he was walking.
Honestly by the end of it I feel like we tried everything haha! In the end we came to the decision that it wasn't fair on Rory to keep pushing him. I remember the conversation so clearly still now. taking the decision to retire Rory early was not one we took lightly., At the time I didn't know what my options were and my first thought was that he wouldn't be mine anymore. Thankfully that was not the case. Everything was still very intense and confusing for a little while, but I went back onto the waiting list for a new dog and Rory started settling into his semi retired home with us! Im calling it Semi retirement as he was able to take on the roll of 'Buddy Dog' or 'Companion' to my little Brother Jonathan.
Just a little something about my Brother before I carry on with the story. My little bro is now 16 and also has Albinism. The both of us have very similar conditions however our levels of vision are very different. He is literally my Mini Me haha! There is no doubt we are related to each other and most assume we are related to the MilkyBar kid! Its awesome to have my brother there to laugh at each other constantly but also support each other. (he has 3 sisters but i'm deffo his favourite)
That then brings me to 2014 and and my gorgeous girl Hetty! We went through the same process of being placed on the waiting list and waiting for the perfect pooch to come along. Hetty was wonderful as soon as I met her we trained and qualified as a partnership not long after our first walk. She is totally different to Rory in character. She is very laid back but has a secret fun side that comes out when she isn't working. She loves attention as they all do but she knows who to flirt with for the best cuddles and belly rubs. Unlike Rory though, she loves being in the harness and has always worked fantastically for me. There was a short period of time, just into the first year of our partnership where Hetty faces some issues with stress.
We still aren't 100% sure what the cause was, but I was struggling a lot with my mental health at the time, not to mention I was doing my final GCSE exams and was Living in a very busy household. I had a different GDMI with Hetty and at the time of her stress, we made the decision to give Hetts a little holiday. She was struggling to keep her weight up,. Despite eating well and so she went and stayed with Ali (GDMI) for about a month to get her back to top form. It was a really scary thing for me. I had already been though such a difficult time with Rory and when this happened with Hetty, I really thought it must be something i was doing that was affecting the dogs like this. It took me a while and a lot of reassurance from Ali that sometimes the dogs can get overwhelmed too. It is super important to bring up any changes in your dogs behaviour with you mobility instructors so you can change what needs to be changed and support your dog with whatever they need.
That pretty much sums up all the hardest parts of my guide dog journey so far. I have been lucky enough to keep Rory super close to me. I get to see him all the time and Hetty is still working now. Hopefully with a few years left in her working life to go. Guide dogs will usually retire between the ages of 8 and 10 so i will keep my fingers crossed.
Fast forward to now and it has definitely not been a quiet few years for Hetty. I met my boyfriend (Charli) around the time Hetty was having her little holiday and after we had been together a little less than a year Hetty and I moved out. We were living with Charli's mum and dad and their pet dog Blue. This was at the beginning of 2016. Since then we have gone through all those crazy things you do on the road to adulthood. We moved out together, first into a flat, then a house that we rented until eventually last year (2019) we bought our own house. In the middle of all that we had our first baby. Lyra was born in September 2017 and in March this year we had a little boy, Leo. Hetty has been with me every step of the way, from landing my first job, to coming with me for all my appointments during my pregnancies and even welcomed a 12 week old puppy to the mix earlier this year too! Benji is like an annoying little brother to her a lot of time time. He is an American bully X American Bull dog so he is a little bundle of energy that always wants to play. Hetty plays hard to get but she loves it really.
So I guess thats the full story really. At least thats the basics. we have hundreds of memories and stories I could share but I'll save those for a later blog. What I will do is add a few more pics of both Hetty and Rory because they are super cute and you can not get enough!
Thanks guys, hope you enjoy this one
H x
