By Joan Janzen

After completing intensive training as a guide dog handler, Jodi Laycock from Luseland graduated as part of the CNIB Guide Dogs - Class of 2022 on Wed., April 27, which is International Guide Dog Day. Jodi graduated with Shadow, a male black Labrador-golden retriever cross.

A virtual ceremony commemorated the occasion when Jodi and Shadow were one of twenty-one graduating partnerships from across Canada, which included 21 guide dogs and five buddy dogs.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Jodi said. “Shadow’s now three years old; I waited just over two years for him. It’s a lot longer than waiting for a baby, once you get the call to pick him up at Ottawa. They take great care to match you up with the perfect match. They could not have made a better match; it’s absolutely amazing!”

Jodi suffers from two conditions - Glaucoma and paralysis of the eye muscle. “It’s like looking through a pinhole, with a circle in the middle, and everything else is black. And I can’t look up, down or to the sides,” she explained.

“Previously, I had a very active life, both in business and socially. There was a period of about 15 years where my life was pretty limited, but I decided I wasn’t going to let that limit me. I did my mobility training, applied for a guide dog, and haven’t looked back,” she concluded.

Getting Shadow on July 29 of last year has changed Jodi’s life, giving her freedom and improved mental and physical health. “I have to walk him every day, so I’m being forced to get out of the house,” she said. Now she is meeting new people and able to get involved in more things. “It really changed my life! I can go for walks on my own and can go to the post office and grocery store all by myself.” Jodi said Shadow will even find her phone when she loses it.

Guide dogs are among the most highly trained dogs in the world, performing tasks that require intensive standardized training, and are specifically trained to assist someone who is blind or partially sighted. Being part of a guide dog team provides mobility, safety and confidence, leading to increased independence and a sense of connection with the world. Guide dogs are one of the only service dogs trained in intelligent disobedience, which is disobeying their handler’s command if it will put the handler’s safety at risk. The safety of their handler is the guide dog’s top priority.

A Buddy Dog is partnered with a child who is living with sight loss. A buddy dog gives the child an opportunity to care for a dog and may make it easier to transition into a guide dog partnership in the future.

Now that Jodi has had Shadow for a year, he becomes her dog. Previously he was owned by the CNIB. However, the CNIB continues to provide everything necessary to care for Shadow, so the owner doesn’t need to incur any costs. They even provide Shadow’s food, which is delivered right to Jodi’s door.

“The main thing I want people to know is how much Shadow has changed my world,” Jodi said. “None of this would be possible without CNIB and the donations made by businesses and the general public. What a huge team it takes to get the guide dog, get it trained and get it to me in the end. It baffles my brain when I realize how much is involved in all of this.”

In recognition of their graduation, CNIB sent Jodi a diploma and a graduation hat for Shadow. Congratulations!