(Updated 17th April) – I DID IT.. picture uploaded..
I did it - in 3h 56min 21 sec - Wahoo! Bit tired and sore now.. but totally worth it.
Latest picture is "I'm finished - outside Guide Dogs welcome reception" - an exhausted me with Peter (the main organiser for GDogs) and Molly a 13 week old Guide Dog puppy. Molly gave me a pre-shower by licking the salt off my face/arms and gave me a big doggie hug.. which made me forget all the pain.
(Updated 14th April) – Talk in Winnersh & Why are you running for Guide Dogs?
Thanks to Jill, Chris and Rosie for coming to Winnersh today to give a talk about Guide Dogs (see below for more info them and see left photos for pictures of Rosie – she is v.cute).
People often ask why I have chosen Guide Dogs.. I have seen firsthand what difference a guide dog can make to someone’s life. There was a guy who went to my old gym that has a guide dog it was amazing to see what difference his doggie partner made to his life – he was able to be independent. The chap himself is quite inspirational too, he goes down the gym to strengthen up for playing a blind sport called goalball, if you have not heard of it check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goalball. Another reason is that Guide Dogs is a local charity and is based in Reading.
Also since deciding to run I have had the good fortune to meet many other great people involved with Guide Dogs or a Guide Dog Partnerships that help inspire me when things get tough:
- Ian who told me about his wife, June, who has been registered legally blind for about 15 years. She lost her sight due to an operation due on her eyes after head injury caused bleeding behind the retina (further complicated by a genetic disorder called PXE or Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum). Here is what Ian told me about the difference Guide Dogs have made to June: “She’s not too bad around the house and she has ‘lots’ of low vision aids – which seem ‘painful to use’ to me. The Guide Dogs have made an absolutely massive difference! She got her first Guide Dog (Holly, Golden Retriever) around 13 years ago and this transformed her life. It gave/gives her the confidence to go out on her own and generally travel – which is fantastic. Currently on her second Guide Dog (Winnie, Golden Lab) who is fantastic and really has continued to make a massive difference to her life.”
- Jill who has raised 7 guide dog puppies as a Puppy Walker and helped me today with the talk at Sage in Winnersh.
- Chris who has raised 20 puppies over 25 years (and now has Rosie her 21st puppy) as a Puppy Walker and helped me today with the talk at Sage in Winnersh.
- Rosie the puppy (13 weeks old) and Nadia the puppy (12 months old) – see pictures.. love the doggies.. I’m just a big softie..
- Mrs Barton and her Guide Dog Inca – London Open Day – great to hear their story – see below.
6th Mar 2011 - Photos from London Open Day - "meet the puppies". Also met the trainers and Will the fundraiser. Great day. Talk from a guide dog owner Mrs Barton who currently has Inca as a working partner (who played to the crowd unashamedly). Mrs Barton told the story of how she almost fell down a open manhole when using a long cane which really scared her – she then applied for a guide dog. Inca has completely changed her life. Funny story.. in all the years she has had a guide dog once or twice she has asked directions and had people whisper them to the dog.. “I just say thank you.. and ask someone else!!”
Running London Marathon 2011 for Guide Dogs for the Blind!! Hence Dunc's Dog Run!! Read about some of the extraordinary partnerships you will be assisting to create!!
Your donation counts no matter how big or small.. here is how the money might be spent...
£1.30 - helps feed a puppy for a day
£5 - buys a puppy grooming kit
£10 - buys a lead for a Guide Dogs mobility instructor
£25 - provides two dog beds
£60 - buys a harness, handle, lead, collar and bell
£100 - provides four long canes
£250 - feeds a guide dog for a year
£600 - provides training for one visually-impaired person
£1,000 - co-sponsors a guide dog puppy
£2,500 - co-sponsors a guide dog
£5,000 - supports a working guide dog
About Guide Dogs for the Blind
The ability to get around is vital in order to live a full life yet thousands of blind and partially sighted people never leave home alone. Guide Dogs empowers visually impaired people to do that and relies on the support of the public to fund its services (it receives no government funding for the guide dogs service).
They breed and train guide dogs which provide life changing mobility and there are currently 4,500 working guide dog partnerships in the UK. Guide dog owners only have to pay a nominal 50p for their dog to ensure no-one is prevented from having one due to a lack of funds. The full lifetime cost of a guide dog from birth to retirement is £48,500.
They also provide a range of mobility and other rehabilitation services such as white cane training as well as campaigning passionately to break down barriers – both physical and legal – to enable blind and partially sighted people to get around on their own.
