Plodding on seven years later, I often wonder if our little Minster Munch knows that his harness wearing days will not be forever. Our working life together will cease  anytime within the next 21 months when he will have to retire. I, on the other hand, have a mere 21 years until I retire. It is a possibility that I could be matched with 3 more Guide Dogs in my working life, each one bringing their own quirks and perks.  Revisiting my naivety of what I thought life with a Guide Dog would be like always makes me cackle and cringe in equal measure. Firstly, I thought life changes woul ..read more

Mention the word disability to ten different people,  and they will all have different opinions on what that means to them and those around them. Some will identify with the word, some will not, some will have ideas about what disability means to them that you had never considered. Going on one definition of disability , it suggests that disability is “having a physical or mental impairment. The impairement has a substantial and long -term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day -to -day activites”. During my time working with children and families over the last 28 years ..read more

As Munch awaits patiently to turn 9 tomorrow on the 18th December, where he will be showered with love, gifts and possibly a treat or ten, I find myself reflecting back on our last seven years together in our Guide Dog partnership. When he trotted into my life at 23 months full of charisma and cheek, I wondered what it would be like when he would grow older  and wiser. Seven years on, and he may have grown older but the wiser..? … maybe not. He seems as healthy today as he was when we met. He runs like a pup, explores new places in total awe, gets the Zoomies at least once a day, meets e ..read more

You may be mistaken in thinking that Munch is modelling a modern day poor quality ruff around his woeful pleading face, but to the trained fellow guardians of our furry friends,they will know it is  the cone of shame. Since our partnership, this is his third bout of humiliation of wearing such an undignified device, but needs must. Tough love is sometimes the only true love. Munch recently had an operation to remove one of his many fatty lumps that are dotted around his body. Luckily, it was a harmless (but huuuge)  lipoma that needed no further action. The blubbery beast had a ..read more

The new academic year for us usually means a few changes in the way we work. From updates on our record keeping systems (which luckily my speech software helps me figure out) , to change in schools that we work in. With a total of 107 schools in our county that we cover, (primary, secondary and specialist  schools), the need to change schools is inevitable. This term, we have been placed back in a primary school, and we are both loving it. Being the only six legged pair that works in our county in our role, some people have heard of us even before we have our first day somewhere. So when ..read more

Explaining sight loss to a sighted person is never straightforward.  Their experience of Great Aunt Brenda’s deteriorating sight loss in her 95th year of life may have given a hint of what other’s go through in the hour or two they spend with someone once a month, but it’s not quite enough. The impact on Great Aunt Brenda’s failing sight, after having good vision throughout her life, is massive. Sitting in the Opthalmology Department this week, snippets of conversations between loved ones merged in the shared space. What I noticed in my hour and a half wait was the gap between the worlds ..read more

This is Munch. Munch finds obedience so overrated. He believes that he is my owner, and no amount of persuasion shifts him from his belief. In all honesty though,  I wouldn’t want it any other way. Prior to Munch’s arrival in my life six and a half years ago, my only other experience of life with a dog was with my collie cross named Cindy, who we had for around fourteen years. Cindy was our best friend who used to spend hours outdoors with my brothers, myself, and friends. She  could header a football like a professional, remain quietly by our side when playing fox and hounds, and j ..read more

Life for a child with additional needs is never  straightforward as they navigate their way through a world that is built to hinder them. A life where accessible is an afterthought and not a given can leave a child feeling they are alone in a world full of connections. Finding their own personal cheerleaders in life to navigate the world as a team, therefore, is key in the search for a happy life where only acceptance exists. When Munch came into my life six and a half years ago, it soon became apparent that not only was he a Guide Dog to help with my sight loss, but he was drawn to bein ..read more

The return of the hot summer weather means only 1 thing for Munch and I, we are about to morph into vampires once again. In life, PreMunch,  summertime, held the promise of endless fun in the beautiful sunshine . Like most people, the beginning of the sunny weather was a welcomed break from the typical Welsh weather, where we can experience four seasons in just one day. Feeling the healing benefits of the sun on my skin meant the countdown until the six weeks summer holidays from work began. These days, however, a feeling of slight dread raises as soon as springtime steps aside for summe ..read more