BEN Dagg is much more at ease since he welcomed yellow labrador Olana into his life, but not everyone who comes into contact with the gentle Guide Dog feels the same way.
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Mr Dagg met with the Western Advocate recently to explain some of the basics of living and getting about with a Guide Dog in an attempt to clear up the misunderstandings he often faces.
And the first, according to Guide Dogs NSW/ACT mobility instructor Adrian Mielke, who met with the Advocate along with Mr Dagg, is how an uncertain business owner can know an animal is a Guide Dog and not simply a pet.
“If it's a bona fide Guide Dog, the handler has to be able to produce a Guide Dog Passport,” Mr Mielke said.
The passport, a photo identification card, includes a photo of the handler and a description of the dog on the front.
“For business owners, security guards in shopping malls, that sort of thing, that [the passport] is the gold standard,” Mr Mielke said.
“In any access situation, they can ask us to produce identification.
“If there is any confusion, they are well within their rights to ask for that ID.”
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT says Guide Dogs and their handlers are legally allowed to enter all public places, including shops and supermarkets, cafes and restaurants, pubs and clubs, hotels and motels, hospitals, medical practices and dental surgeries, and travel on public transport.
Fines apply for denying the animal entry.
Mr Mielke says he understands why restaurateurs, in particular, might be concerned about having a Guide Dog on the premises, but emphasises they are not legally allowed to refuse access.
Further, he says Guide Dog handlers and service trainers are trained to remove hair from the animal and keep it clean.
Mr Mielke also says it is important to know how a small distraction can undo months of training for a Guide Dog.
That distraction might be someone patting or feeding the Guide Dog while it is working, but it might also be the Guide Dog coming across another dog that is not on a lead.
He said it was important for people to remember that a fine of up to $1100 could apply for someone with a dog that is not on a lead in a public place.
When approaching someone with a Guide Dog, he said it might also be polite to let them know you have a dog with you.
Mr Dagg suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa, which manifests itself in a number of ways, though the two main ones are tunnel vision and night blindness.
What vision Mr Dagg does have is reasonably good, Mr Mielke said, but he is deemed as legally blind (or visually impaired) because of his very narrow tunnel of vision.
“There is a common misconception that all Guide Dog handlers are blind, but I would say the majority are vision-impaired and not totally blind,” Mr Mielke said.
”In the Central West [between Lithgow and Dubbo] there are 15 Guide Dogs. Four clients are totally blind and nine are visually impaired to the extent that the Guide Dog benefits their mobility and increases their safety.”
Mr Dagg’s Guide Dog, two-and-a-half-year-old yellow lab Olana, takes him around low obstacles he would not otherwise see.
Olana joined him in August and the connection was instant.
“And the bond between us has grown,” Mr Dagg said. “She's become more comfortable with me and vice versa.”
Mr Mielke said anyone who is interested in the work Guide Dogs NSW/ACT does and would like to make a donation can visit www.guidedogs.com.au.
He said anyone with a vision impairment, or who knows someone with a vision impairment, is welcome to contact the organisation for information or advice about Guide Dogs, canes, electronic aids or “anything to do with orientation and mobility”.
“All services are free,” he said.
