Local charity owner lost sight at 19 but dogs helped

Nigel Garry, 65, runs a small charity in North Wales with his wife, Karen. He has had five dogs since becoming blind at the age of 19, and is currently on the Seeing Dogs Alliance waiting list for his first dog from the charity. 

 On looking forward to getting a dog from the Seeing Dogs Alliance, Nigel said, “I’m excited for my next dog to be from the Seeing Dogs Alliance and know that with the charity’s training that it’ll be a perfect match from the word go. The partnership I have with the seeing dog is incredibly important. We become inseparable. To have that independence and to go out alone, it’s absolutely phenomenal, I don’t think there’s another word to express it. I can’t wait to start making memories with a dog again.” 

 Nigel was 19 when he lost his sight. He remembers the August Sunday afternoon vividly, a frightening experience that he likens to having had a white sheet put over his head. Optic nerve scarring due to optic neuritis led to optic atrophy and Nigel had sudden and irreversible blindness. The life-changing event caused Nigel to experience three years of depression, until, in 1980, he received his first dog.  

 “My first dog was called Pepsi, a black Labrador. I had her while I was raising three children and I can’t understate the freedom, the mobility and, most importantly, the independence that a seeing dog brings. Without a dog I’m a prisoner in my own four walls.” 

 However, Nigel has been without a dog since his German Shepherd, Jack, suddenly passed away three years, nine months ago. Frustrated and feeling let down with the time it was taking to get a new dog, he researched alternative options and was impressed with the training and processes of the Seeing Dogs Alliance. So, he applied, and has been accepted, to receive a dog from the charity. 

 Nigel and his wife, Karen, have lived in Colwyn Bay for the last 20 years and together they run a small charity called North Wales Accessible Holidays for Blind and Visually Impaired. The charity, set up in 2017, owns and runs two fully adapted and accessible static caravans. “Karen and I set the charity up because over the past 25 years now, three big national blind charities have sadly closed no less than 13 specialist hotels for blind and partially sighted people. So, we felt there was nothing out there anymore other than mainstream hotels so it can be difficult for a blind or partially sighted person to plan and enjoy a holiday. 

 “We have set up the charity and the caravans to ensure that our beneficiaries can come and enjoy freedom, mobility and, most importantly, independence. As a blind person myself, independence is the finest thing under the sun. 

 “The charity is going absolutely superbly! We’re at the point where we’re fully booked and demand is outstripping supply so, sadly, we’re having to turn people away. It breaks our hearts to not be able to fulfill more holidays for visually impaired children in the summer. It’s amazing. If it hadn’t been for Covid, we would have a third caravan now.” 

 “Without a dog, Karen and I can’t make plans for the future. At the moment I’m relying on my wife to help me get out of the house. We go for walks every day, but Karen’s starting to struggle with her feet now. Getting my new dog will give Karen, as my carer, a chance to relax a little bit, if I need anything from the post office or the local supermarket, I will have that independence back. It’ll be nice to be able to do the meet and greets with new holidaymakers coming to the caravans with a seeing dog, rather than my cane. It’ll really turn my life around. 

 A well-established and acclaimed part of The Seeing Dogs Alliance training is the more personal approach the charity takes to matching dogs with their new owners. Training is one-to-one, rather than in groups, and the new companions are given plenty of time to learn each other’s particular needs and foibles. Instructors work with clients and dogs in their homes and local streets, which is a much more personal approach. 

 For more information about the Seeing Dogs Alliance, visit www.seeingdogs.org.uk.