Guide dog new leash on life for Gordon
For the last year, Ernie the guide dog has been the eyes for Gordon Oldfield.
A labrador-golden retriever cross, Ernie has a voracious appetite and loves to greet everyone in the office at Volunteer Nelson where Oldfield is the assistant manager.
Oldfield has a degenerative eye condition and in the last 10 years he has slowly lost his sight to the point he is legally blind.
Ernie is Oldfield’s second guide dog. His first, Levi, died suddenly last March. The pair had been together for nine years.
‘‘That was a bit of a shock for me and sort of plunged me back into experiencing what it was like not to have a guide dog.
‘‘It really brought home to me what a difference they make.’’
He said it took some adjustment to get used to working with a dog. In the beginning it felt like the person was doing 90 per cent of the work and the dog, 10 per cent. But in time that reversed and Oldfield said you just ‘‘hang onto the handle and enjoy the ride’’.
Ernie sleeps at Oldfield’s feet while he works and knows when it is home time as he gets up ready to leave.
Oldfield said the best part about having a guide dog was the difference it made to his mobility.
‘‘When you train to use a long cane, you find that whenever you are walking you can never disengage from thinking all the time because you are having to interpret the information you are getting from that cane.’’
But working with a guide dog meant in time, Oldfield was able to walk freely without having to think about each step.
‘‘It puts the pleasure back into walking again.’’
Oldfield said as someone who was reliant on a guide dog, he was ‘‘enormously appreciative’’ of the work people did to fundraise on behalf of the sight impaired.
Blind Foundation fundraising general manager Cherie McClintock said the waiting list for working guide dogs in New Zealand was around 12 months.
Every day, an average of three New Zealanders register with the Blind Foundation for help and support with sight loss.
McClintock said the wait time could be greatly reduced if more guide dogs were bred and trained.
‘‘The costs for breeding and training a guide dog are fully funded by public donations and sponsorship,’’ McClintock said.
‘‘Guide dogs couldn’t do what they do without help and support from fellow New Zealanders.’’
The 2017 Blind Foundation Red Puppy Appeal is being held on March 24 and 25. To sign up as a volunteer as a street appeal collector or make a donation, visit redpuppy.org.nz or phone 0800 PUPPIES.