Pet nutrition giant’s partnership shows the value of guide dogs.
Guide dogs do an amazing job of being the eyes of people with vision problems.
Just how phenomenal they can be is something Dan Shepherd likes to point out when he gives talks in his role as Blind Low Vision New Zealand’s (BLV) Head of Community Engagement.
He often shares an experience last year with his own guide dog, Ezra, who incredibly led Shepherd to a taxi rank at a busy city airport. But more about that soon.
Their heartwarming story comes as premium pet nutrition company, Royal Canin, has announced a partnership with Blind Low Vision NZ to elevate the nutrition and wellbeing of guide dogs like Erza.
Dean Richardson, ANZ Sustainability and Partnerships Manager at Royal Canin, says the company will provide exclusive, high-quality nutrition tailored for the unique needs of guide dog puppies and trainees within the Blind Low Vison NZ programme.
“We are thrilled to embark on this transformative journey,” he says. “Our mission aligns seamlessly with the charity’s dedication to empowering New Zealanders who are blind or have low vision.
“Every three hours, someone in New Zealand develops blindness, emphasising the critical need for assistance of a guide dog; this partnership will help to enhance the wellbeing of guide dogs and their handlers, ultimately empowering more Blind Low Vision individuals to lead fulfilling lives.”
Now, back to the story of Ezra: Shepherd, from Christchurch, had Ezra for just over a year when they made a last-minute dash to Auckland to see his grandmother, seriously ill in hospital. When his flight landed at Auckland’s domestic terminal, Shepherd was due to be met by an airline staff member and helped to a taxi. But nobody showed up.
“I needed to get to the hospital as quickly as I could, so I said to Ezra, ‘Find me a taxi’. I had never asked him to find me a taxi before, but I trusted him,” recalls Shepherd.
“He walked me up the air bridge. I felt him looking left and right. Then he found the escalator and took me down. He found the arrivals gate and then he found the door to outside – this is in a busy terminal not easy to navigate – and he took me out.
“We walked along until he stopped, and I realised I was standing by the passenger door of a taxi. He’s amazing.”
Shepherd, who has had Ezra since October 2021, couldn’t imagine life without the black Labrador/Retriever cross. “We are more than a team; he is part of me. He lets me be me.”
Shepherd was 15 when diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a genetic condition that leads to the cells in the retina breaking down over time, causing vision loss. He was told then by his ophthalmologist that by the time he was 40, “everything would be black”.
“I’ve proved him wrong, I still have a functional tunnel of vision,” says Shepherd, who turned 40 earlier this year. “However, that will continue to get smaller and smaller until one day I will see nothing.”
It took 19 years after that diagnosis for him to accept his disability and ask for help. He attended a programme run by Blind Low Vision NZ to learn to use a white cane, and his instructor thought he might be a suitable candidate for a guide dog.
“They are the Rolls Royce of mobility support for the vision loss community, so it was humbling to think I could have the support of a guide dog. I know the level of investment that goes into them.”
Ezra, now four years old, is a “big boy with a big personality”, who not only keeps Shepherd mobile and safe, but “does a huge amount for my confidence and independence. He has a drive to take on new challenges and new spaces. I hadn’t realised how much my vision loss had stopped me saying yes to new opportunities before I was matched with Ezra. He gives me the confidence to try new things.”
Shepherd believes having Ezra has a positive impact on the rate at which he’s losing his sight. “I have noticed that my vision loss accelerates in times when I am stressed. But with Ezra, I’m not doing my vision loss journey alone any more; he takes away a lot of my stress.”
While Ezra’s job is to make life easier for him, Shepherd also has a responsibility to make sure his guide dog is in tip-top condition so he can maintain the high levels of concentration and fitness needed to do his job.
That means having regular vet checks and vaccinations, getting plenty of exercise – not a problem as Shepherd and Ezra walk 6km to and from work every day, rain or shine – and feeding him a nutritious diet.
“Royal Canin’s scientific approach to puppy nutrition addresses the specific needs of Guide Dog puppies during their critical growth phases. Their diets are carefully formulated to provide essential nutrients for healthy development,” says Richardson.
“It’s the same as with humans,” says Dan Shepherd. “If we want guide dogs to perform every day, we need to look after what we are putting in their bodies. We have a duty of care to them, and that in turn helps us. I am delighted Blind Low Vision NZ has partnered with Royal Canin.”
It takes approximately 18 months to two years to train a guide dog from puppyhood to becoming a fully certified service companion like Ezra. The training is very intensive, with only around 40 per cent of dogs completing the programme.
Blind Low Vision NZ serves 15,463 clients and as of June 2023, 129 dogs were being trained through its programme, with 144 working as active companions.
For more information on finding the best diet for your puppy: royalcanin.com/nz/dogs/products/puppies