Guide Dogs: A second chance of seeing the world

Hello, I am Jasmine and thank you very much for taking an interest in my Blog. Guide Dogs is something I feel very strongly about. It is quite a well-known charity in the UK but not everybody knows what fantastic work they do to change the lives of blind and partially sighted people around the country. My aim is to tell you more about Guide Dogs and also how they are increasingly being attacked and hopefully you will want to help!

 

Guide Dog attacks are of a great concern to Guide Dogs UK, as the rate at which they are being attacked has risen from 3 attacks a month, to 8 attacks a month in a 24 month period from June 2010 to May 2012. In most cases, the attacking dog was uncontrolled and off the lead. Attacks on Guide Dogs can have a devastating effect on both the Guide Dog and the owner. Three Guide Dogs have been permanently withdrawn and the other major impact is that the blind or partially sighted person is left without their dog, and is left housebound until a suitable match is found for them.

Here is John and Dez’s story. John became blind almost two years ago as a result of Diabetes.  He did not accept it for months and shut himself away, drinking and moaning, too scared to go out. He described waking up in tears, sometimes having dreamt that he could see, and living in darkness both mentally and physically.  At his lowest points he was unable to see any kind of future and even thought about ending his life. Now though, nearly two years later, John’s life has completely turned around. This was all down to a dog called Dez, a Black Labrador. Before Dez, John admitted that he would not leave the house unless he really had to, but nowadays he is woken by a hungry dog. Even if John has nowhere to go, he still enjoys just being out and about with him.

 

There are already around 4,700 Guide Dog owners in the UK, but there are still around 180,000 blind and partially sighted people in the UK that are not getting the support they need.



Guide Dogs receive no government funding and so every donation counts. If you would now like to find out more, go to www.guidedogs.co.uk. If you could now answer the questions below in just a few words. Thank you again and please help Guide Dogs

• Have you heard of the Guide Dogs organisation before? Do you now feel you know more about it?
• Would you now feel confident to talk to others about the issue?
• Would you now be willing to support Guide Dogs by doing any of the following:

1. Make a donation to Guide Dogs?
2. Join a fund raising campaign?
3. Buy something from their online shop- The Dogalogue?
4. Or Sponsor a puppy?

If you do post a response, please include your home town and country (if not the UK)

Thank you again for reading my Blog.

Jasmine