It is 6:45am. I hear the booming noise of my alarm clock and the first thing I feel is my adorable Labrador-Retriever licking my hand because she wants food.
I don’t have time to think about the negatives that sight loss invariably brings because my furry ball of happiness, who tackles the darkness with me, is ready for the day.
Every day I count my lucky stars that the charity, Guide Dogs, exists. Every day I know Olga will be by my side. And, everyday blindness is just a little bit more bearable with her waggy tail in my life.
But four years ago without Olga, when I first lost my vision, it was a completely different story. I was low, not able to leave the house and grieving the loss of my eyesight.
I know first hand how cared for, respected and loved guide dogs are and it makes me angry that an animal rights activist, who doesn’t really know what a true guide dog partnership is about, can go on national television to complain about the welfare of my dog.
With the rise in popularity of veganism in 2018 there are a lot of animal rights campaigners out there stating that the use of guide dogs is an unethical practice, as debated on Good Morning Britain, but as a blind woman and a vegan myself, I could not disagree more.
Was this activist there when I trained with Olga and my guide dog mobility officer for hours and hours on those cold February days in order to bond and learn routes with her? All whilst grieving the loss of my sight? No, she just wants to tell me that Olga apparently doesn’t consent to being my guide dog. This view is clearly based on no proper research or facts.
Olga loves wearing her harness, I received first class training from Guide Dogs For The Blind and they are on top of the latest research about dogs and dog breeding. Do you really think that such a well-respected charity would not think about dog welfare? It is at the epicentre of everything Guide Dog does and stands for.
With the continuous development of new apps for blind people, it is getting easier and easier to navigate, but even with these apps you still need help with mobility. Technology is not quite there yet and, even if it were, I would choose to be with Olga. She is more to me than just a guide, because of our bond I know she wouldn’t put me in harms way. She is a living, breathing being and we tackle the world’s challenges together, and we are both happier this way.
If she didn’t consent, then she simply wouldn’t do the work of a guide dog, but she does. I give her food, toys and a lovely home to live in and she works for a few hours a day in return for lots of treats, love and admiration.
When Olga retires she will be staying with me and my fiancé and, if this wasn’t the case, the guide dog network is huge. There are so many lovely people I have met, from puppy walkers to volunteers, who would gladly have her.
What worries me is that this particular vegan activist is taking the attention away from all the real animal cruelty in the world. Instead, she opts to direct her rhetoric towards a charity that is changing the lives of blind people and this is such a shame. This is such a shame. As a vegan myself and I really don’t like to see this sort of misguided, uninformed opinion being linked to veganism.
There is no need to worry about my guide dog for me, I am perfectly capable of looking after her. She will continue to feel happy, healthy and safe with me.
If you want to know more about our life together, check out our YouTube channel