Mummy, why is there a dog inside?

When I am out and about, I often hear children ask their parents 'Why is there a dog inside?' This question is often followed by the statement 'Dogs aren't allowed inside.'

The question always amuses my Person and I - not so much for the question itself, but for the variety of responses it gets. Here are a few examples:

'Shhh!' (We assume these people are too embarrassed to think we might hear them talking about us, or just don't want to say they have no idea.)

'The lady is training it to help people who can't see.' (This one is flattering - I must be doing a great job! Actually, I'm fully trained and am guiding my Person so she can do her shopping etc.)

'He's a Seeing Eye Dog and is helping the lady.' (Yes, I'm helping 'the lady' but I'm not a Seeing Eye Dog - I'm a Guide Dog. What's the difference? Guide Dogs Victoria and Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA) are different organisations. There are a few differences in the breeding and training set-ups of the two organisations, as well as the harness - if you ask me, Guide Dogs has a higher standard of expectation in relation to behaviour. Still, I'm not offended if people think I'm a SEDA dog - it is hard to tell the difference!)

'He's a working dog - he's helping the lady because she can't see very well' (We like this explanation - obviously the parent is prepared to explain things fully to their child and is not afraid to mention my Person's disability.)

'OK, so now the explanation I would probably give if I was asked:

I am a Guide Dog, and that means it is my job to look after my Person wherever she goes. I am allowed anywhere my Person is allowed (with the exception of the Zoo, because I might disturb the animals and they might distract me from doing my job properly - and some other reason called 'quarantine'). This includes resteraunts, supermarkets, libraries, milkbars, shopping centers, markets...

Until next time...

Guide Dog Kenworth

Wow! What a life!

Hello there! Welcome to my life!

My name is Kenworth and I am a Guide Dog - specially trained to make sure my handler and best friend doesn't do anything too foolish, like bumping into things or walking out in front of a car. Some folk might ask how anyone could do such things, so maybe I should explain - my Person can't see terribly well. This is my diary, though, so I won't go into that.

At the moment, my Person is a student teacher (which means I am too, yay!) - that means we go to university to learn to be a primary school teacher. We will be fully qualified by the end of the year, she says! What does that mean to me? Well:

• I spend three days a week at LaTrobe University - I get to talk to lots of people there, because my Person takes my harness off me when we are in lectures and seminars. I show my Person how to get to and from uni safely and make sure she's able to safely find all the classrooms she needs to, too.
• I spend one day each week at a local primary school. My Person and I help the teacher in the Prep room. The kids are interesting. Last year I had 13 of them in the class - this year there are 15. The best part, though, is when I get to play with one of the other teachers, Fred - he'll even play chase with me around the staff room!
• On other days I might go shopping, just go out walking, visit friends - whatever. Occasionally I even have a quiet day at home!

I love my life!