After Vision Loss: 5 Important Ways a Service Dog Can Assist

by Nancy Shugart

I lost my sight at age eight, but it was 35 years later before I applied to receive a service dog. Had I known just how much a service dog would assist me, I never would have waited so long.

During the four weeks of training, I quickly realized that there were many ways my new Golden Retriever companion was going to assist me, ways in which I had never even considered.

As I take the harness handle in my hand, feel the gentle tug as he begins to move, I know my life is in good paws.

Here are 5 important ways in which he helps me.

1. Ensures my safety when crossing streets.
   It is up to me to give him the command when I believe it's safe to cross, but twice he has disobeyed me because he saw a car coming that I had not heard. This is referred to as "intelligent disobedience."


2. Warns me of obstacles.
   He is trained to stop if there is something in front of me that could hurt me if I don't stop. It is then up to me to feel out with my foot or hand to figure out why he stopped. It might be steps, an obstacle in our path, or it might be a low hanging tree branch.


3. Locates things for me.
   If we are at the mall, I can simply say, "Find the elevator" or I can say "Escalator up" or "Escalator down" and he will take me to the correct one. I can even say, "Find a seat." I have had to become more specific though and so I now say, "Find an empty seat." Yes, I have been introduced to some people in some very funny ways.


4. Acts like a GPS unit.
   If we are walking in the neighborhood and I get disoriented, I can simply say, "Take us home" and he will do just that.


5. Introduces me to people that I otherwise would not meet.
   Because I cannot see to make eye contact with someone, I rarely am the one to initiate a conversation. However, I have found that there are a lot of good people in this world who love dogs and are anxious to talk to me just because I have a dog.

I cannot include all the ways that my service dog helps me in this brief article. If you would like the free report, "21 Ways My Service Dog Helps Me", then simply subscribe to the Prove Them Wrong Ezine: Tips & Tools for Succeeding with a Disability and the free report will be sent to you by email.