Guide Dogs For The Blind – National Guide Dog Month

Guide dogs for the blind are a wonderful thing! My GBGV Life is partnering with Natural Balance to help support their life changing mission! I’m not a guide dog, but Mom has a very small feeling of what it is like to be totally dependent on a dog with our nose work trials. We have to find odor, and the dog is the only one of the team that can find it. It is a scary thing for humans to trust their dog 100%, but it also pays off!

Personally, we don’t know any blind people, but we do know and have known several seniors who have lost much of their eyesight making their lives very difficult. We were given several stories about guide dogs for the blind, and have chosen the story of Tom and Dynamo because it hit closest to home for us.

Imagine you’re on the verge of retirement, ready to enjoy your golden years to the fullest, when out of the blue—you lose your eyesight. This is what happened to Tom Kowalski. While Tom was no stranger to overcoming life’s adversities, this was a challenge he simply wasn’t prepared for.

After months of seeing Tom come home from his daily walks with strange bruises, his wife decided to apply to Guide Dogs for the Blind on his behalf. Before he knew it, Tom was headed to San Rafael, California to meet his future soulmate—Dynamo, a professional guide dog. “I’ve had four great gifts in my life: my wife, my two kids, and Dynamo,” says Tom. A superhero guide dog and a superhuman athlete, Dynamo and Tom spent their days training and securing their bond for two intensive weeks. They have never looked back.

With Dynamo never more than 20 feet away, Tom can listen to the birds sing and feel the wind in his hair without worrying about his safety. The added mental calm that Dynamo gives Tom, and the support and positive reinforcement that Tom gives Dynamo, have helped the two complete a half-marathon together, raising $6,000 for charity. With no signs of slowing down, the two are now planning to hike up Mount Rainier and travel the country— speaking as ambassadors for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

To help people like Tom thrive, please consider donating to Guide Dogs to the Blind. Once there, you can also read about the eight other amazing human-canine teams. There’s no better time than National Guide Dog Month to show your support for these incredible people and their four-legged superheroes.

Natural Balance asked My GBGV Life to help spread the word about National Guide Dog Month, Guide Dogs for the Blind, and the top 10 human-canine teams who make us believe. My GBGV Life was compensated with a Canine Kitty Care Kit. The opinions in this post are the opinion of My GBGV Life.

Save

Save

Save