You don’t have to be blind to appreciate the benefits of Guide dogs for the Blind.

Hi, my name is Fern, and I would like to thank-you for taking your time to read my blog and showing a great interest into my moving topic. My aim is to hopefully raise awareness and money for my worthy cause. I believe that Guide Dogs for the Blind Association’s work should be recognised and promoted, by addressing these issues it will help facilitate a better quality of life for blind and partially sighted people, enabling them to take part in society on a more equal basis. My advocacy will have 4 aims; 1) Raise awareness of Blind issues, enabling a better understanding how being blind effects everyday tasks such as shopping. 2)  Try to gain support for voluntary work/charity fundraising for Guide Dogs.  I would like to inspire my readers to support Guide Dogs.  Working together everyone can raise sufficient funds to make a real difference to blind people.  It costs Guide Dogs for the Blind £5,000 a year for each dog, for the life of the dog to enable them to offer this basic right of independence. 3)  Raise awareness of attacks on working Guide Dogs by other dogs; the psychological effect on the blind owner and working dog, with most dogs having to be retired as a direct result. Myself and mum have already campaigned to our local MP to change the law to make the attacking dog’s owner responsible for compensation to the owner and Guide Dogs for the Blind for the full value of the working dog, and a lifetime ban on owning another dog.  4)  Attitudes to working Guide Dogs.  Many support Guide Dogs, but I have met others who disagree with having working dogs.  Through talks and explaining a typical day for a working Guide Dog, it can be made clear that a working dog’s life is a happy life.

Funded by solely fundraising; no money from the government, the charity has to raise enough money to train and maintain the special dogs. Without any donations from the public Guide Dogs wouldn’t be able to run and the charity will eventually collapse and then no one would benefit. This is concerning as the number of blind people are rising, Guide Dogs’ biggest clients are people retired and evacuated from the forces. This is why I need your help, to help raise a little puppy to become a life changer!

A true story
Here is an example; Lance Corporal Craig Lundberg lost his eyesight fighting for his country in Iraq. Craig lost his sight during a battle in Basra. Targeted by a rocket-propelled grenade, he was lucky to survive the blast which resulted in an open wound on his arm and the loss of his left eye. This left him blind. When Craig lost his eyesight he lost his courage and bravery, he stayed in his home, scared to go outside. So Guide Dogs decided to help. They paired him up with his trusty companion Hugo; Hugo gave him the strength and confidence he needed to overcome his fear of going outside.They paired him up with his trusty companion Hugo; Hugo gave him the strength and confidence he needed to overcome his fear of going outside. Thanks to Hugo Craig endeavored to keep active and climbed Kilimanjaro. He also threw himself into his football; playing for Hereford United blind football team he received tips along the way from fellow players David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and John Terry. These clearly paid off as he was honoured with the Player of the Year Award in 2010.

Some people mistake the focus of a working dog as glum sadness, the actual time working in a day is very short, they enjoy a life with constant companionship of their owner, not waiting at home 8 hours a day for an owner to return from work, and all working dogs have a minimum of 2 extended free runs each week.

I, myself, have witnessed the effects and changes to the blind people.

Guide Dogs’ for the Blind is an organisation that treats people that suffer from being blind and helps to support them through the process. As it’s an establishment that relies on people’s donations and fundraising because without them Guide Dogs for the Blind wouldn’t be what it is today. You can do this by going on their website:
http://www.guidedogs.org.uk

Thank-You for reading my Blog, I hope it changed the way you feel towards Guide Dogs and that you feel as strong as I do. I would be extremely grateful if you could please answer the questions that follow;

1. Are you now more aware about Guide Dogs for the Blind?
2. Do you support their views?
3. Are you prepared to tell others about the organisation?
4. Would you consider donating your time or money?
5. Please could you also say where you live (i.e. town or country)

Thank-You very much!
Fern