Guide dogs make huge difference to independence of their owners

When asked what this partnership means to them, four words are repeated over and over again - freedom; independence; confidence and companionship.

Aucklander Angela Thomas says the difference between having and not having a guide dog is 'immense and immeasur-able'. She has only been working with her first guide dog, Ngaire, for six months, but says she feels incredibly safe when she is out with Ngaire.

"I lost 60 to 70 percent of my sight four years ago after a bout of flu developed into a rare condition that stripped the coating off my nerves, damaging my optic nerves as well as affecting my mobility. Having Ngaire has empowered me. It has given me the confidence to be independent and go more places on my own. It has made me realise that I can 'see'."

For Angela, one of the best parts of her day is the walk - a 1.5km, round trip - to take her six-year-old son to school in the mornings. A walk that without Ngaire she was unable to do. "I really love that change in my life that having Ngaire has made. Ngaire is not just a guide dog to me, she is a part of the family and she brings us a lot of joy - even when she runs into my son's bedroom in the morning and wakes him up!"

Studying education and history at Victoria University, Reagan Shortall experienced a year of being virtually housebound after contracting OSS from extensive use of his cane. "I couldn't go out of the house without having a sighted guide with me," said Reagan, "which meant that more often than not, I just didn't get out at all.

"I was absolutely rapt when I was matched with my first guide dog Hannie in 1998. To me Hannie represented freedom, after a year of feeling trapped within four walls."

Because Reagan has limited use of his hands, the harness handle had to be custom-altered to prevent further OSS problems. It was bent and twisted to match his natural hand position and he also has to wear prosthesis braces to hold his wrists and hands firm (allowing limited movement in his fingers and no movement in his thumb).

The restrictions don't hold Reagan back from a very active campus life with his second guide dog Carrie. "Apart from my lectures, I'm also president of CAN-DO, a tertiary, disability organisation. One of my duties is to test the accessibility of buildings around Victoria University and Carrie helps me with that.

"When I first got Carrie he was used to walking very set routes. After almost two years of working with me, he is now a lot more relaxed and comfortable about going wherever I need him to - and he is great around kids when I am out talking to school groups.

"One of the best things about having a guide dog is that feeling of not being reliant on other people to get around. I know where I want to go and with Carrie I can get there, when I want to."

Reagan is not the only one who appreciates the freedom that comes with working with a guide dog.

Teacher's aide, Kaye Kay-Smith, also appreciates the difference having a guide dog can make. She remembers a time when she used to volunteer at Guide Dog Services after school. Now she has a guide dog herself. Ycasio (Cass) has been with Kaye for 18 months and Kaye wishes she had got a guide dog earlier.

"I wasn't sure that having a guide dog would work for me -we already had a family pet dog - but now that I have Cass I wouldn't have it any other way. "I am more willing to go out on my own, I feel like I have more freedom and independence and I don't have to rely on other people as much."

Kaye says that having a guide dog is pretty easy but you do need to concentrate so that you can give them instructions. With Cass she can get to her part-time job as a teacher's aide for a local vision-impaired student in about 20 minutes - twice as fast as the 40 minutes it used to take her.

"We work really well together - I am really proud of him. And he's a hot favourite with my 17-year-old triplets and the community in Te Awamutu. The number of times that people stop to chat - I think he's becoming a really social butterfly!"

Freedom, independence, confidence, companionship - these are the common threads that connect the human and dog element of guide dogs teams and link them to other teams all around the country. For most it is a partnership that is treasured and one they would not go without. Guide dogs do make a difference in people's lives.