Perfecting skills
Bonnie has made great progress since her last Pupdate. Her confidence in her guiding skills has developed so much. She always likes to be doing something. She loves being out and about and guiding me on different routes. She’s happy and comfortable wherever you take her and adapts well to new environments. I’ve done some blindfold walks with Bonnie in quiet and busy areas. This is where I put on a blindfold and ask her to guide me around a familiar route. I always have a colleague close by to ensure we’re both safe. Doing this lets her make decisions on her own without any help from me. It also teaches me more about Bonnie’s guiding style and how the tension in the harness changes based on the situation. For example, whether we’re approaching a kerb or guiding around an obstacle.
Bonnie is confident on public transport and isn’t fazed by heavy traffic. She takes everything in her stride. She enjoys her training and loves to guide; she likes finding her way around a route. Bonnie was previously struggling a bit with speed, often rushing, but she’s made great progress with this. Her guiding speed is comfortable and consistent now.
The main challenge Bonnie still faces is settling. Her patience is excellent when she’s in harness, for example while waiting to cross a busy road. However, when it’s time for her to relax, she finds it hard to switch off completely. For this reason, I do lots of trips to cafés or restaurants with her. In her future role she’d be expected to settle for a longer amount of time in locations such as these. To help with this, I sometimes give her a chew or filled Kong toy to enjoy. This allows her to still focus on something whilst also encouraging her to relax.
Next steps
Over the next few months, I’ll continue to work on Bonnie’s settling, along with finding her perfect match. She will suit someone who is active and goes out every day. She guides on new routes skilfully, but someone with a fairly consistent routine would also work well for her. Bonnie would happily live with children or other dogs. She loves cuddles and affection, so I think she’d be great with someone who is looking for a caring companion as well as a great guide dog. I’m confident we will find her perfect partner soon!
Thank you for sponsoring Bonnie. Thanks to supporters like you she will make an incredible impact on the life of someone living with sight loss!
