TAILS OF ACHIEVEMENT

held and sponsored by

 James WellBeloved www.wellbeloved.com

&

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers  www.apdt.co.uk

WINNING TEAM 2008

LISA AND "KATIE" LAWTON  and THERESA FRANKLIN

                            Katie’s Story 

                 told by Lisa

Five years ago I lost my sight; it happened overnight and was caused by toxoplasmosis. I had caught the protozoan several years earlier from either the cats or goats that we had kept: it had originally caused asthma, liver problems and muscle weakness, but then it moved to my one good eye, (my left eye had a severe stigmatism and had only peripheral vision), the result several accumulative bouts of vision loss that would be treated with steroids, last about a year and finally go into remission. Then, it happened: I had a cold that would not clear, on the Friday evening my vision felt blurry, on the Saturday morning I awoke to thick black lines crackle glazing my already blurry vision, by evening I could not focus on anything.

Over the next few weeks I realised the steroids were not controlling the inflammation as they normally did and my one good eye became useless, leaving the other to struggle on with its convergence and fragmented vision.

After many months the sore dried out to leave a scar that settled over my central vision and parts of the peripheral, that was it, that was as good as it was going to get and I was registered blind.

Most people seem to think that blind means black, but that is not true; only about 8% of those registered blind actually are totally blind, most of us have some vision. Mine is not so much not seeing, as seeing too much: I see one and half to two of everything, because I cannot hold focus, what I see jumps and flickers constantly like an old movie, I see arms coming out of walls because the brain cannot make sense of the missing bits, it fills in the gaps with what it thinks should be there. -  I once sat through a speech hearing not a word, but fixated on the poor speaker as all I could see was his ever talking head suspended in mid air two foot away from his midriff and shoulders, the rest was a muddle!

During this early period people were very kind and well meaning, but I felt like I had gone from an energetic, capable 50 year old sculptor, artist and designer, to an 85 year old with learning difficulties. “Can she sign her name” the nice girl in the chemist asked my husband, “Sit there and don’t move, I’ll get you something cold so you don’t burn yourself” said a friend; all well meaning, all demeaning. I felt useless. I wanted a dog.

As an unhappy child I had been loved and nurtured by a Rhodesian Ridgeback, he had been my mother, father and best friend. He gave me loyalty, understanding and support and the simple value system I developed from those lessons has served me well throughout my life. We had ended up running a kennels, working closely with vets we had specialised in providing care for older dogs and those with health problems After fifteen years the stress of responsibility had taken its toll and I had to get out. I loved the animals, but could not take the worry any more. We had lost our last old Goldie at seventeen and decided this was the time to go; we would travel and enjoy the freedom.

We did for a year, but how I missed having a dog around, then my vision went and here I was desperate for a dog. At first , I think it was just my need for comfort, but then I began to think about a guide dog, I phoned them up and they took me on for assessment, but I think I already knew the answer—I could see shapes, so I could see too much for a guide dog. But, they did a very good job of teaching me how to use a long cane, now I could go out on my own…

Unfortunately, I found being out on my own with a white stick a very negative experience; people would pull children away, reprimanding them out of fear that they may have tripped me, nobody actually spoke to me, not even to offer a free sample or leaflet, I felt like I was in a bubble.  Then I met the lower elements of society, people who would move in front of me in queues, or even worse, try to take my handbag, I felt vulnerable like I had never felt before.

It was then that I decided if I can’t have a guide dog I will have an assistance dog and I will train her myself to do the things I need. I already had a good friend who was an APDT and just embarking on a Canine Behaviour degree, she ran classes that I could attend and even though she was deaf and I was blind, we knew we could do it. Now I needed my dog, not just any dog, this dog had to have the x factor—I don’t think I even knew what the x factor was, I just knew that I would know it when I saw it and I did.

I had felt from the beginning that I did not want a puppy, I knew that I needed a certain type of personality to work with and if the pup turned out not to have the qualities I required, there would be no way I could let it go and start again, no I had to be as sure as I could be. A year and a bit later I was still looking and I had reached the point where I felt that perhaps I should consider a pup and if it worked it worked, if it didn’t I would still have a lovely dog. I searched the shows and the internet looking for lines I recognised from my old Goldie's, and then I saw it: the picture called out to me, she was a beautiful Golden Retriever bitch that looked just like my first Goldie, Jodie. The soft eyes, the slight collapse of her mouth and fly to her ears, all signs that said I am not to sure about this camera thing, but I trust you. Yes, I thought as a tremor of excitement ran through me.

I rang the number the following morning and spoke to the lady that owned the web page, I felt at ease straight away, as she spoke of the importance of her dog’s welfare and I liked that. “Yes” she said, she is a lovely dog and her puppies are very like her. After chatting for about two hours I found out that Jesse, was four and this was her second litter, a repeat mating of a very successful first. After a brief discussion with my husband we arranged to go down to look at the puppies the next day.

I was so excited and yet also apprehensive, all my worries about having a pup flooding back. We drove down in silence, both knowing that the next few hours could change the course of our lives, the road seemed endless. As the door opened not one , but two Goldie's came to greet us; one the graceful beauty I had seen on the net, the other a larger, pale dog with beautiful dark eyes and an uncontrollable need to be close. The tail wagged the head, the body and even the paws skidded on the wooden floor in her eagerness to be wrapped around us. Our host apologised and put her behind the baby gate in the kitchen, “Sorry”, she said “Katie gets over the top”.

She showed us the pups, but I found my gaze drifting back and locking with the longing dark eyes atop the baby gate. Lindsay talked on about the pups, their pedigree, their individual temperaments, yet I didn’t hear a word, I was already locked in conversation with the pale girl behind the gate. “How old is she”, my question surprised her, “18 months”, she replied, then telling me that she had kept her from Jesse’s first litter, but she had not made the grade. “My mum hates her because she never leaves you alone, she is always on at you”, she opened the gate and Katie bounced out, her great bulk pitching forward into my seated lap. I said nothing much, but just stroked small circles on her neck and ears, the frenetic energy sapped and she became quiet, something secret passed between us and before I knew what I had done, I had opened my mouth and asked Lindsay if she would consider selling me this lump in my lap.

Once she had recovered from the initial shock, Lindsay agreed to think about it and let me know the following day. She rang that night and said she was mine; she would not even take anything for her, she gave me one of the greatest gifts of my life. Lindsay delivered Katie to us the following week; it was then the middle of March and apart from long walks, stable routine and very basic training I did nothing formal with her until October when I felt the trust between us was solid and that she was now calm enough to go further.

I went to Theresa’s classes and we learnt together, we had fun; we did a bit of agility, Katie jumping and me tripping along beside her.  I found my confidence growing again as she grew in hers; we did our bronze Good Citizen and then our Silver, all the time she would accompany me out, we went to railways stations and watched the trains come in, if not sure she would press against my leg, I would smile and she would relax. We went on trains, she sat under the tables, we went on buses and followed dustcarts, in the end very little fazed her.

With her Silver Good Citizen’s and Gold Diploma from Theresa’s club under her belt it was time to look for a charity that would allow for me to train my own dog as an assistance dog. This came in the form of Dog Aid, a charity devoted to matching people with trained volunteer trainers to enable them to train their own dog. In order to be accepted onto the scheme I had to qualify as physically disabled, which for me comes in the form of a balance disorder similar to vertigo which, added to my sight impairment, gave the structure to what I required of Katie. First though we had to achieve the Gold Good Citizen’s and then the Dog Aid Good Companion Certificate.

Katie has to learn not only heel work and recalls, but also that she must refuse all types of tempting dishes on a loaded coffee table, she must not take food without command, such difficult tasks for a food driven, dustbin of a dog. Between the three of us: Theresa, my deaf, but brilliant instructor— me, the blind, but committed owner and Katie, my ever eager to please, fun loving and now placid Golden, we have now achieved both these goals and we are now working towards full assistance status.

For this Katie has to perform three special tasks for me:

1:  To stay with me and not move if I fall and to help me up, if appropriate.

2: To find pay points and cash desks.

3: To locate certain articles if I lose them: keys, purse, white stick etc.

She already has great fun finding things for me and we are now working on pay points; as far as staying with me and helping me up, she has always done that.

Katie is not the brightest dog on the block, she would not do obedience or agility like a collie, but she does enjoy life and is the most loving, loyal and giving dog I could ever have wished for. She has an almost instant, instinctive recognition if things are not well with me, as I do for her and seems to understand what I wish of her from a whisper. There is no aggression in her, just a love of life and companionship that she extends to me and all those who come into contact with her. She has given me back my confidence and enabled me to tackle life full on once again. I work at West Leicestershire Mind, a mental health charity where she does a great job of teaching responsible dog ownership. I am also involved with the Borough Dog Warden in promoting responsible dog ownership in schools etc.

Katie has not only helped me, but all her hard work will now benefit others in the community. I hope you have enjoyed reading about Katie’s contribution to my life and hope that it may give you a glimpse into the enormous part she plays in mine. When I am down, she cheers me up—when I fall, she helps me up—when life is a fragmented blur, she leads me through it and all with a wag of her tail.

 13TH SEPTEMBER 2008 - TAILS OF ACHIEVEMENT FINAL

 NEWBURY RACECOURSE