Every dog has his day
Allan Pronger’s dog Archie has a bit of a sweet tooth. The two-and-a-half year old Labrador celebrated Allan’s daughter Sophie’s 10th birthday in style; by eating most of the young girl’s birthday cake.
Archie also has a taste for Easter eggs, foil wrapping and all, and enjoys the odd pair of underpants if left unattended.
What makes Archie such a special dog isn’t his taste for the saccharine and seductive but his training as a guide dog.
Yesterday was International Guide Dog Day and Guide Dogs NSW was trying to dispel some myths surrounding the organisation. A 2011 Roy Morgan survey for Guide Dogs revealed that nearly 60 per cent of repsondents were unaware that the organisation provides services for people who are starting to lose their vision.
Mr Pronger lives in Newtown and has been assisted by Archie since June 2010. Before the helpful pooch came along Allan was using a cane to assist him in getting around the bustling Inner West.
Allan was participating in vision impaired karate, he currently holds an advanced brown belt, and made friends with some of the other martial artists who turned him on to Guide Dogs NSW.
“We were going to get a pet dog when our family dog died and I had a few friends at karate that had guide dogs so it seemed like a good time,” he said. “They’re a great family dog the Labrador, so Archie just slotted right in.”
Archie’s training took two years and cost around $30,000, around half of the dogs picked to go into the guide dog training don’t graduate.
Allan suffers from a very rare neurodegenerative syndrome called optic atrophy which affects his optic nerves. He reckons no more than a dozen people suffer from the syndrome in Australia. The 47-year-old was first diagnosed at the age of 13 and was certified legally blind in 1985. It took Allan over 20 years to contact Guide Dogs NSW for assistance.
“I just thought I was coping,” Allan said of his condition. “Like anybody in that situation, you just put it off and you say ‘oh well, I’m getting by’.”
Dr Graeme White, CEO of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, said it was of the utmost importance that people seek help early.
“We’re encouraging people to seek our assistance early, to help reduce the risk of accidents, falls and depression, thus improving their quality of life and independence,” he said.
“Our free training programs provide people with support and the ability to have confidence to move around independently.Last year we worked with 3,500 people with impaired vision across NSW, however there is still a large number of people who are not seeking help.”
Allan’s message to others who were in his situation, seek assistance.
“Don’t put it off,” he said. “There are only things to be gained and nothing to lose.”
