Woman with visual impairment loses her lifeline to independence
REGINA In a split second, Ashley Nemeth was robbed of her lifeline to independence when her guide dog was struck by an impatient cyclist.
Nemeth, who is blind, and her teenage daughter were walking from the Cornwall Centre to a nearby Starbucks in early May when Rick, her yellow Labrador retriever, was hit by a cyclist.
“We had just moved to the city and we were enjoying this new freedom we had,” said the 33-yearold. “We were walking beside each other and a biker came from behind us and tried to go between Rick and the building. Rick follows the left side really closely so there wasn’t enough room and he ended up hitting Rick on his side.”
When the guide dog tried to move out of the way, the cyclist ran over Rick’s front left paw.
“(The cyclist) yelled back, ‘Oh, sorry’ and kept on going,” Nemeth said.
Immediately after the incident, the shaken dog wouldn’t move. Later a vet examined Rick and, aside from bruises, determined the dog was physically OK.
But the guide dog was left traumatized.
“I’d put the harness on and he didn’t want anything to do with it,” Nemeth said. “Slowly I worked with him and gave him lots of time and love. We got him to move with the harness on and he worked, but he was never the same.”
Despite a trainer from Guide Dogs for the Blind from California coming to Regina to work with Nemeth and Rick, the dog was always looking over his shoulder.
“In order for him to guide safely, he had to be as focused as possible and he just couldn’t do that any more,” Nemeth said sadly.
Consequently, the school suggested Rick retire as a guide dog.
“In the end, it was my decision, but it wasn’t safe for him or me,” Nemeth said. “You don’t want to work a dog that is stressed.”
Guide Dogs for the Blind picked up Rick. He’s now retired and living as a pet with those who raised him.
The cyclist’s haste caused heartbreak in the Nemeth home.
“The day that Rick left was hard on me and my family,” Nemeth said. “Everybody was in tears ... Rick wasn’t just a dog. He was a lifeline to independence for me.
“I want (the cyclist) and others to know that when you see a guide dog team or service dog team, just give them some space and allow them to do their job.”
She had the option of keeping Rick as a pet, but plans to apply for another guide dog and her house isn’t large enough for two large canines.
“I’ll be filling out the application in the next few weeks,” Nemeth said. “The wait time is nine months to a year for me to get another dog. That was a hard pill to swallow when I heard the timeline.”
Generally guide dogs work for nine years.
“He had a good five years of guiding left,” Nemeth said. “It’s sad — there’s been so much work and time and money spent on training him.”
The estimated cost to train a guide dog is $60,000.
While Nemeth waits, she’s working with an orientation specialist from the CNIB to re-learn how to use her cane and travel independently.
Her mantra: “Life has to go on.” Nemeth’s vision problems began early in childhood. By the time she was a teen, she’d lost most of her vision. Today, she can only perceive light.
Her life changed dramatically in September 2014 when she got 18-month-old Rick from Guide Dogs for the Blind in Portland, Ore.
With the help of donations to the charity, the guide dogs are trained and provided free of charge to those who qualify.
Nemeth recalled the intense training she underwent with Rick over two weeks.
“It was emotionally and physically tough — there are long days,” she said. “He was kind of like an old soul. He was really relaxed and calm.”
With Rick by her side she felt more confident to travel independently.
“I could rely on him and myself,” Nemeth said. “It made it easier to go shopping because Rick could find the counter and the till and he could find doors.”
She felt free to go for walks with her three kids.
“I felt like I was the parent because I had Rick,” Nemeth said. “I knew if I said it was OK to cross the street that Rick would let me know if it wasn’t safe.”
Her two sons and her daughter loved playing and cuddling with Rick when he wasn’t in work mode.
“He was just like a pet, but a really well behaved pet,” Nemeth said. “They loved him. He was definitely part of the family.”
When the kids were sick, Rick would lay with them and when they were sad, he’d lick their faces.
But when Nemeth put on his leather harness, the guide dog was all business.
“He’d ignore the kids and he would do his job,” Nemeth said. “His harness was his uniform for going to work.”