A Tribute To My Guide Dog Vanilla: A Life Of Essence

Guide and Service Dogs changing lives

- Pasha Alden

  

Born prematurely, I have been visually impaired since childhood. I live in Grahamstown, accompanied by my beautiful black Labrador/Golden Retriever cross Guide Dog, Vanilla. My job in management entails advisory work as well as the production of tactile books for pre-school children.

A feline devotee as a child, I was exposed to dogs only through friends and was cautious of them (the fact that I was bitten by a Spaniel did not aid matters). However, after three years of tertiary studies obtaining a BA degree in Languages, I heard about the virtues of Guide Dogs. The more I heard, the more I thought that it would be the appropriate solution for my lack of mobility and independence. After careful consideration, I applied for a Guide Dog, and a short while thereafter I received my first Guide Dog, an exquisite Golden Retriever named Vanity.