This past Sunday was the Lions Foundation National Walk for Dog Guides. Traditionally, this annual walk is held on the last Sunday in May. This year it was indeed on the very last day in May. For the past several years Lyle and I have participated in the fund raising walk and I am so grateful to the many people who sponsor me in the endeavour.
Sometimes people ask me why I don’t apply for a guide dog myself. It feels strange for me to answer that I actually have too much vision. I say strange, because that is a statement I don’t use very often. Let me explain. Although I frequently don’t see things directly in front of me, I have good peripheral sight when it comes to movement. I’m afraid that I would be constantly pulling on the leash of a guide dog instead of letting the dog do the guiding work. I tend to get startled by things that I think I can see and would likely jerk to a stop or pull away. This would be quite confusing for a dog trying to guide me. I know that Lyle often has to remind me that he is the one who can see and I should let him lead the way and not rely on my phantom sightings.
The Lions Foundation provides dog guides to Canadians in several circumstances of need, not just vision impairment. At our local walk on Sunday, we heard from the recipient of a Lions dog guide who worked with Victims Services. They had recently returned from the Oakville Centre in Ontario where the match between dog and person had been made and the two week training session had taken place. The whole process of training and transportation is covered by the Lions Foundation at a cost of $35,000 per match. What an amazing service for Canadians in need.
