Guide dogs helping blind runners stay fit despite COVID-19 outbreak

Canines essential to healthy lifestyles amid pandemic restrictions.

WEST SAND LAKE, NEW YORK — Social distancing rules can make exercising a challenge for a blind runner who needs a volunteer tethered as a guide. But Thomas Panek has no problem because his running guide, Blaze, is a Labrador retriever.

“I’m doing all the things a person would normally do, except I’m doing it with the help of a best friend who happens to be 77 pounds of love wrapped in soft yellow fur,” Panek said.

Panek developed a canine running guide training program five years ago after he became president and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind in suburban New York. Last year, he became the first blind finisher of the New York City Half Marathon to be guided entirely by dogs.

Now, he said his dog Blaze plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle amid gym shutdowns and other pandemic restrictions.

Conventional wisdom said dogs would be unable to navigate safely while running, and that their health might suffer.

“No guide dog program in the world would allow you to run with your guide dog,” he said.

He set out to change that when he took the helm at Guiding Eyes and visually impaired runners asked him to consider a running guide dog program.

The first step was redesigning the dog’s harness.

Trainers worked with the canine equipment maker Ruff Wear to develop a lightweight padded nylon vest that allows the dog a full range of motion. The setup is comfortable for the dog, allows the runner’s arms to swing naturally and provides better feedback than the traditional harness, Panek said.

“What we learned was really amazing, inspiring, almost magical,” Panek said. “The dogs were perfectly capable at guiding at a faster pace. In fact, some of the dogs enjoyed it more, and their other guide work became more accurate.”

When a handler graduates from Guiding Eyes, trainers continue to provide support.

“They go home, learn the route they want to run, and we go and certify it,” said Mike Racioppo, a running guides specialist from Guiding Eyes. “We want to make sure the dog can do it safely.”

‘I’m doing all the things a person would normally do, except I’m doing it with the help of a best friend who happens to be 77 pounds of love wrapped in soft yellow fur.’ Thomas Panek, Blind runner

KATHY WILLENS / AP Thomas Panek (right) runs in New York’s Central Park with guide dog Blaze and Mike Racioppo, a training specialist for running guide dogs. Last year, Panek became the first blind finisher of the New York City Half Marathon to be guided entirely by dogs.