New partner gives Umbilo woman her independence

THERE’S a real good reason behind Umbilo’s Sharon Bacon’s smile. Sharon has a new partner, a new best friend who is giving her the freedom and confidence to tackle routes around Umbilo with confidence. Sharon is the proud recipient of her first guide dog, a handsome golden male Labrador cross Golden Retriever called Randol.

This new guide dog partnership was made possible through the SA Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind, which is now based in Greyville.

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Sharon and Randol recently qualified the stringent training offered by the association and are becoming a familiar sight for Umbilo residents as they walk around the suburb. Sharon is employed by SARS as a quality assessor and is currently in the process of studying for her Master’s Degree in Media Communication.

Public speaking, writing short stories as well as articles for the SARS newsletter are some of her interests, and she also loves listening to music and event planning.

She is thrilled and excited with her new partnership.

Randol was raised in Johannesburg and trained by the training facility in Paulshof, Sandton. Speaking about her fostered ”four-footed child”, puppy raiser, Hazel Newington, said: “Randol loves being loved and given lots of hugs and kisses. It’s been very special to have him for a year.”

SA Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind’s (GDA) founder Gladys Evans, who had failing eyesight, brought the first Guide Dog – Sheena – onto the African continent after training at the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in the UK.

Gladys Evans started the SA Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind in Johannesburg in 1953.

Guide dog breeding lines are carefully selected to produce the best possible dogs. Each puppy’s first year is spent in the family home of a volunteer puppy raiser, where the pup is thoroughly socialised before it returns to the Association at 12 months old, for six months of advanced training.

All applicants and dogs are carefully matched to suit each other’s needs. Training of the guide dog and recipient is first done at the Association’s residential training centres for two weeks, followed by additional training in the guide dog owner’s home and work environment.

“If you happen to encounter Sharon and Randol on their daily routes please do not distract, call, pat or feed Randol. Owning a guide dog is a life-changing experience for someone with visual impairment. It is an all-inclusive package of independence, mobility, and companionship – a priceless gift,” said Pieter van Niekerk from the Association.

To find out about how Guide-Dogs Association can make a difference in your community through either a guide dog for a person who is visually impaired, a service dog for a person who is physically disabled, an autism support dog for children with low functioning autism spectrum disorder, or orientation and mobility training for a person who has lost some of their sight and needs training that can restore their independence, visit: www.guidedog.org.za.