Back in July I wrote an email to my mobility instructor about an experience that I had with my guide dog. I thought I would share that email here to help people get an idea of just how amazing having a guide dog really can be...
"Sophia,
I imagine that from time to time the question must come up with some of your partially sighted students as to why having a guide dog (given the commitment and effort having one requires) would really be all that much better than merely traveling with their cane. Well, I can now offer you a true story that can clearly explain the value of traveling with a guide dog as compared to traveling only with a cane for a partially sighted person.
Last night, being the brave sole that I am, I went to a movie at the Century City Shopping Center's AMC 15 theatre at 9:45 p.m.. I know that going to a movie sounds pointless but I can catch about half of what's on the screen and besides, getting out and doing things with my guide dog is important for both of us. Well, I haven't been to the Century City Shopping Center without sighted guide since it was remodeled and then I've only been there three times prior to last night and always during the day. I used to know my way around that mall like the back of my hand, at one time I had an office in Century City and I ate lunch at that mall every single day.
Westfield Shopping Centers sure did a number on the the place when they remodeled it. It's now a hopeless maze and bares absolutely NO resemblance whatsoever to it's old layout. In the dark, despite the lighting from the storefronts and signs, because of my near total blindness at night, I was utterly lost in the complex with no hope of orienting myself.
Earlier in the evening the mall was fairly busy and making my way to the theatre complex wasn't too terribly difficult. With Dobbs' steady lead and the help of several nice people giving me directions to the front entrance of the AMC 15 Theatre located on the second level of the mall, I was able to find my way there without too much hassle. I knew I was turned around a bit but as long as I went back the way I had come, I wasn't too worried. As you can imagine, after the movie let out around 11:30 p.m., things didn't go as I had planned and finding my way out proved to be a whole other story.
Unfortunately, when I exited the movie theatre, it was from a different door than I had entered into it from. You know how they do that sort of thing late at night when they want to usher people out by the fastest means possible so they can go home? Suddenly I found myself lost and disoriented outside a completely different entrance to the theatre than the one where I had entered. The theatre door had locked behind me and worse still, the mall was deserted, dark and there wasn't a sole around who could help me with directions. The AMC theatre building is located to the back of the mall where the Gelson's Market used to be and is planted right in the middle of a maze with no clear, straight forward cardinal points method of orienting yourself. I had no idea where I was, where the elevators down to the first level were located (and of course couldn't see them, much less find a map of the mall to get my bearings) and I could only guess as to the direction back to the street. And just to make this situation a bit more stressful, I had less than 15 minutes to find my way back to the bus stop on Santa Monica Blvd. or I would miss my bus home and have to wait another 40 to 60 minutes for the next bus.
Well, bless my guide dog. After realizing just how daunting a pickle I was facing, I remembered the motto they pounded into my head in guide dog school "trust your dog." I took a deep breath, paused for a moment and then with as much courage as I could muster, I gave Dobbs a "Dobbs, find the elevator" command and held my breath. He paused for a moment, looked around and then off we went making a bee line across the open courtyard to somewhere off in the distance and after a minute, without even so much as a hesitation we arrived perfectly right at the elevator doors. Sophia, it was remarkable. I've always believed in Dobbs and knew that he was capable of doing some amazing things but this was more than I could have ever imagined. The feeling of gratitude that was welling up inside of me nearly brought tears to my eyes. I just couldn't believe finding the elevators had been that easy.
But the story doesn't end there. After a moment I found the elevator buttons, pushed the bottom down button, the door opened, we entered, I guessed which button inside the elevator took me to the first level ( guessed correctly) and lickety-split we arrived at the first floor level. The only problem was that we were still stuck in the labyrinth and I had no clear idea which direction to take to get out. Again, I took a deep breath and gave Dobbs a "forward, outside, find the stairs" command and off we went. He wove back and forth around planters, dodged in and around storefronts, went left and right around corners and a few hundred yards (and a few minutes) later, boom, we were standing right at the front stairs of the mall where we had come in. I nearly cried. It was the most remarkable experience I've ever had. I had no idea of where we were, where we were going or what he would lead me to. I was utterly at his mercy and he didn't let me down. I never imagined that he could perform at such a high level before last night. I love my cane, Sophia, you know that, but I love my guide dog 1000 times more. My cane would have kept me safe but without Dobbs, I would never have found my way in time and would have spent at least a half hour to forty-five minutes fumbling my way around that mall trying to find the way out. When we got to the bottom of the stairs I halted him and gave him the biggest hug you can possibly imagine. If there was ever any residual doubt in my mind about whether I really needed a guide dog, this experience washed it away forever.
Once I finished giving him a big hug, he then amazed me yet again. The bus stop on Santa Monica Blvd. isn't far away from the bottom of the stairs where we were but, as a team, we had never been there or used it before. So, once again, without any clear idea if Dobbs would actually be able to accomplish my request, I held my breath, peered blindly into the dark and gave the command "Okay Dobbs, find the pole." After a momentary pause, off we went weaving our way through the valet area, around objects, signs, etc. and back and forth along the twisting path made by the sidewalk in that part of the mall. Without ever having seen that bus stop before, Dobbs not only found it but took my right to the bus sign without making a single mistake. In school the training staff pounded the idea of learning to trust and follow your dog into our heads but I hardly imagined until last night just how serious they were about the level of trust I needed to have in my dog. I always knew that Dobbs was very smart, well trained and really well disciplined but, holy smoke, I never could have imagined just how brilliant and capable he really is.
Moments after we arrived at the bus stop, a bus pulled up and we boarded, heading for home. Sitting on that bus I gave him the biggest hug you can imagine all the way to my bus stop. If your O&M students ever want to know why a guide dog is so valuable and worth making the effort to have, you just tell them this story. I can't begin to express just how amazing my experience last night really was.
Best,
Robert"
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