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g your children in different material clothes with some wearing rubber soled trainers whilst others wear boots with zips means that you can casually listen out for their unique footsteps as they zoom past you in the playground you find your own way of blending into a society that is not your natural habitat but thrive in all the same so when i was asked if i could look after my grandson alone i just smiled sweetly and answered yes of course i brought up four children of my own when this puzzled older lady told me that she had lost her own children on numerous occasions when they were growing up whilst stating and i can see i stiffled the swear words and answered oh you should have asked a blind parent how to do it properly i am unsure if her silence was to allow the penny to drop or if she was trying her if looks could kill on me which i couldn t see anyway but hopefully assumptions won t always be her go to when she is talking to someone honouring the ability in disability is a lost art in the lives of many learning from others who live differently helps us to expand our often narrow sighted lives and can give us perspectives we have which we never had the privilege of experiencing a little more blind faith is something we could all benefit from in life half a year highlights 27 sunday jul 2025 posted by thesecretblind in guide dog 2 comments tags animal beginning blessings blind dog guide dog love new beginnings sight loss we have reached our six month mark of being a two guide dog household with two very different dogs on very different ends of every scale imaginable i will forever be thankful that opposites attract as stevie experiences his first six week summer break from school munch has been coaching him in the art of nothingness which stevie is slightly struggling with a loveable lordly labradoodle lay about has been a regular sight in this house over the last eight years when we are off school but it s a new skill for stevie to learn stevie finds difficulty in operating in an under 100 miles per hour manner throughout the day every day our speedy stevie outpaces all of the local dogs whilst out free running and has yet to lose a race in the olympics he always believes he is competing in the essence of a golden retriever needs to be bottled and made into energy supplements so that everyone can experience the oxytocin rush coursing through their veins daily here are just a few highlights and lessons that i have l learnt from stevie over the last 6 months a new friend a day keeps the blues away stevies mass of admirers are growing by the day who can resist stevie s golden retriever cheesy smile which he loves to share with anything with or without a heartbeat munch has taken great pride in introducing him to the local two and four legged friends he himself has made along the way your job needs you as much as you need your job stevies purposes in life are varied from guide dog fun ignitor secret pet therapy provider right through to proud weekend volunteer stevie is needed in many places on harness he has already been my constant freedom enabler represented guide dogs on tv attended speaking and fundraising events pretty impressive for six months of work all taken into his long stride if stevie had become a pet instead of a guide dog i don t think he would have experienced so much tail wagging experiences that he has had to keep his welcomed social battery as full as it is looks can be deceiving stevies puppy dog eyes will lead you to believe that he never puts a paw wrong let me leave you into a little secret over the last couple of months mobster munch has recruited stevie into a covert ball stealing operation during free runs many innocent pooches have had their round best friends snatched away by these ball thieves who have absolutely no remorse all property is returned to the rightful owners after our well rehearsed interventions are carried out sweet and innocent ones like stevie are the ones you have to watch love is all you need as golden retrievers are known for their increased love hormone oxytocin steve shows off this trait with pride his usual greeting to new people and dogs alike involves a body wag propelled by his helicopter tail a drop to the ground and a rill onto his back ready for belly rubs subtlety not being the strongest of attributes in his life stevie is the guy to love you as you are one of the blessings of having such love transmitting from him all the time is that i am always surrounded by love silence is golden silent stevie is just that silent he has only barked twice since we have had him apart from the occasional quiet noise from him when he is chasing squirrels in his sleep i never hear him he is the opposite of our little real life chewbacca who exists within munch munch gives me a row if i stop and talk too long and barks at a particle passing the house so having a dog that is quiet is a little different he reminds me to be still in the moment and that sometimes less is more playing is really undercover work mischief seeking in play may create grey hair for observers but the participants are learning all about boundaries and new skills since being with us stevie currently has the social life of a butterfly each place he visits he knows how to pick up leave me alone cues from other dogs right through to let s not get stuck in the same bush three times in a row lessons that he is picking up on mistakes are the foundations of chances harness work with stevie has bern a work in progress kind of thing on our matching walk when we first met stevie s energy was palpable through the harness and lead but as the time has gone on he is becoming calmer and more focused when hiccups in harness happen he is only just gone 2 we work as a team on how to figure it out he absorbed information like a sponge when he feels supported and loved when challenges arise being of service enriches us deeply the world is not about us alone we are just one person in a world of billions we need each other and adventures are better with matched energy stevie s heart grows bigger each and every day as he gets what he gives out on the world time and growth are always the answers to any question life is not given to us for us to remain static and close ourselves off to opportunities without stevie i would not be able to continue through life reaching goals independently as time ticks by and stevie slowly becomes a clone of munch i cherish each moment that these two path finders have dedicated to me selflessly always leave your sparkle in the hearts and minds of others stevie s spark for life and adventure is the first thing you see when you meet him along with his brother they continue to be unapologetically them with each burst off sparkle they leave behind born to shine 13 sunday jul 2025 posted by thesecretblind in guide dog 3 comments tags animal blind disability dog guide dog some souls are put on this earth to blend in subtly to their surroundings and remain humble whenever they go camouflaging into the crowd they seek no special treatment and allow people respectful personal space not one to cause a social stir their idea of a nightmare would to be the centre of attention these innate introverts often bump into their polar opposite reflections on their steady saunter through life if you are looking for calmness subtly and introversion a golden retriever will not be the place to find it you may seek but find you will not stevie has now been in my life for nearly six months but feels much more having pole vaulting from life with an entitled regal labradoodle to life with an eager to please over friendly golden retriever blending in is still a distant dream i recall my decade younger version of myself naively believing that i would only apply for a guide dog if they would subtly blend in with my life without anyone noticing too much the universe however had other ideas when it matched me with the two biggest attention grabbers that have existed wheras munch is a little more reserved expecting people to perform to earn his attention stevie is led by his oxytocin filled love centre of a body to become best friends with anything with a heart beat two very different dogs at different parts of the subtle scale when visiting my father a few times in hospital over the last couple of weeks stevie strutted into the hospital fully aware that this was a place for him to shine fanning his glamorous tail like a peacock our walk from car park to bedside attracted his desired attention wafting through the surround sound of ooh s and aah s along the way motivated this little showman to trot along like the celebrity that he thinks he is the stevie show increased in intensity when we arrived on the ward at visiting time but had to wait a few minutes to see my father as he had a staff member with him to stevie s delight a number of staff came over to meet him and stroke his ego along with his silky golden fur which made him one happy boy we had the double bonus of having my sweet 2 year old grandson with me who everyone fell in love with too so slipping into the ward quietly was never going to happen as if by magical some biscuits appeared for my grandson and a bowl of cold water for stevie stevie s telepathic abilities were on top form that night too when he manifested an offer of beef from a kind member of staff who wanted to share her lunch with him with two full bellies we were finally able to reach our destination of seeing my father going somewhere unnoticed is impossible in a place full of dog lovers with dogs who love to be loved hearing the joy of seeing stevie and my grandson in the voices in the people around me makes the desire to blend in fade away when stuck in hospital bored and alone there is nothing better than seeing a dog practically gallop into the ward to spread their love for all to share i was told that there were a lot of smiles from patients and staff around us when they saw my grandson and stevie bringing the love from the outside world into those isolated inside and that is such a beautiful thing to know as time goes by many munch like qualities are beginning to appear in stevie i have a sneaky feeling munch is secretly coaching stevie into becoming my owner just like he has become over the last 8 years deja vu seems to be my new constant with these two special souls and i am loving every moment of it volunteering bliss 22 sunday jun 2025 posted by thesecretblind in guide dog 1 comment tags acts of kindness animals awareness blessings blind connect counselling diversity expansion happiness kindness life purpose motivation looking at this adorable pair of guide dogs many would have a surprise knowing that they will have needed an average of 110 000 to fund their working lives from breeding training and supporting the dogs the guide dog charity estimates that each dog costs 55 000 we as guide dog partners are forever grateful that we are paired with these dogs at no cost to ourselves at a recent fundraising event where the local fire station held a car wash to raise funds for guide dogs and the firefighters charity we raised 257 for each charity this was enough for guide dogs to fund 9 guide dog harnesses for future guide dog partnerships without the kindness of the public donating at events like this future munch and stevies simply wouldn t have the financial backing to become members of the four pawed life changing posse known as guide dogs showing up to support fundraising events like this is for me a bare minimum of what i should be doing to give back to the charity that emlnables my current life for me volunteering and raising money for charity has been a big part of my life since i was young my first time in helping to raise money for charity was back in the 1980s when i was 9 and i wanted to set up a bring and buy sale for the blue peter appeal in all honesty it was my poor parents that did most of the organising from putting an advert in the local paper booking a place organising coffee tea cake stalls and all that was needed but i remember happily drawing and colouring posters to put around the village despite not being able to see to colour or draw tidly on the day i remember having that buzz in the local village hall knowing that all the people there were there to raise money for a good cause from then to today i have done a lot of different things in between providing support in a mental health centre volunteering with children and families and organising many events has enriched my life in so many ways being of service to others and expecting nothing in return is something that we need more of in this world research tells us that there are many benefits to volunteering your time and energy into something that you feel passionately about from improved mental and physical health building a new skill base and gaining a sense of hope and achievement volunteering can enrich your life as much as it does for the cause building a whole new social network with the people you meet can bring about lifelong friends and take you along unexplored paths i have worked in a variety of mental health services for 30 years with people from a wide range of ages cultures and backgrounds one omnipresent factor i have noticed in my time in mental health is that volunteers make up only a small percentage of people accessing services volunteering can vastly lower levels of stress anxiety and depression and enhance self esteem and confidence in individuals finding a new purpose in life can help individuals put their own problems on pause and help shift their focus outside of themselves and into the world if we choose to remain in our me bubble where we focus all of the attention on our thoughts feelings needs and wants 100 of the time then becoming overwhelmed is a given choosing to step into the we bubble in the world when we realise our thoughts feelings needs and wants are not unique to us but a shared experience by millions of others we begin to live a different way our own seemingly unique story is a story that has been lived by many before us and will be lived by many after us developing a world view that shapes a framework for life is far healthier than believing that you are the only person to have ever experienced what you have gone through finding comfort and companionship in people fighting for the same cause and change as us can help encourage us to help shape the change we want in the world we turn from powerless to powerful in the blink of an eye volunteering with guide dogs has allowed me to meet many four legged friends who doesn t love a bit of dog therapy new friends for life with other volunteers and members of the public who i would never have started conversation with if you ever feel stuck in a rut with the monotony of life give volunteering a go the we bubble of life is awaiting your arrival older posts facebook facebook follow me on twitter my tweets blog 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