Living Life with a Guide Dog

Andrea has been blind since birth, “well not totally blind” she tells me settling into the interview as her guide dog watches us from his bed. “I have been a client of the Department of Rehabilitation Services, Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind my whole life, I wanted to give back,” and she does by serving on different boards and committees for the Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind. Besides the boards and commissions, Andrea also runs three low vision support groups and is involved with guide dog user support groups. Vocationally, Andrea is a canine massage therapist and owner of a yellow lab named, Yolo who will be 6 this year. Yolo is her 5th guide dog.

Initially taught to use a cane, Andrea felt conspicuous and very blind with it. “When using my cane there was a lot about the world I was traveling in that I didn’t know.” ”I don’t like the fact that my cane doesn’t have eyes that see a tremendous amount of monsters” When confronted with the huge University of Connecticut college campus she would be attending, a young Andrea made the decision to supplement her cane skills and get her first guide dog; the result smiled Andrea, “was a tremendous level of experience and confidence.”  Working with Yolo, “everything became more possible” when with her guide dog everything became more manageable. Andrea elaborated “the guide dog is your partner and believes in you 100% what you look like, your belief system, your faults they’re all irrelevant.” She struggled to express the relationship perhaps because “there isn’t a human relationship like it.”

Not to be confused with a pet that is a member of a communal family, a guide dog even when in a family can only be bonded with one person, and only be taken care of by one person. This is because a guide dog like Yolo is foremost Andrea’s partner, for him to function as a working dog; they must have an exclusive relationship. Andrea explains, “Yolo is an extension of me he is my eyes and is responsible for my safety. There is a difference between a pet and a guide dog, which needs to be recognized as different, not better but different.” Andrea knows this misconception well, evidenced when people treat her guide dog as a normal dog and pet and distract her teammate when they are working. 

That, at a crosswalk for a 5-lane road, or in the middle of West Hartford Center, is dangerous. Andrea denounces it claiming, “ It’s like touching someone’s eyes, or grabbing the steering wheel.” On the other side Andrea becomes more approachable with Yolo. As explained by her,  “No one walks up and says what a cute cane, but Yolo he is a conversation starter.”

Andrea acts as the pilot with her guide dog she navigates the way. Andrea needs to know where to go and what her route and destination will be. The guide dog is her safety and will stop at curbs, or flights of stairs.  Yolo will not go forward if there is a hazard in Andrea’s path. Andrea said, “I was impressed with him as a worker and could live with him cause he’s sweet.” But the moment we bonded, was when he did an unplanned traffic check “just naturally nailing one out and saving me from getting hit by a car, that bumped up my trust tremendously. I’ve been amazed by each one of my guide dogs.”

Andrea has received her guide dogs from guide dog schools Fidelco, and Guide Dogs of America, who breed and train their dogs. Guide dogs are trained to make the distinction between work and play once their harness is on. The harness is the business suit and Yolo who Andrea describes as “a goofy nutball” becomes serious and focused on carefully observing and reacting to everything outside Andrea’s door. Throughout her life Andrea has been adamant in doing everything in her power to advocate for guide dogs and conveyed her appreciation for all that Yolo does for her.

While dispelling people’s feelings that her life would be better if she could see, Andrea recognizes that certain aspects would be easier but it would not be living a better life. Andrea explained her life is different but still filled with friends, family, joy, and a guide dog that “I am in awe of everyday in what we are capable of as a team.”