I was also challenged with the cane, bumping into people and tripping them, smacking into walls and overhangs, and getting the wind knocked out of me when my cane hit a crack in the he sidewalk and plunged into my stomach.

When I walked with a gude dog for the first time at Evaluation Weekend, I could feel myself shaking because I was so excited! I couldn’t belileve it! It was a dream come true for me when Eric St. Pierre, the head of MIRA Canada, approached me and said: “I am delighted to be working with you this summer!”

Training was hard but exciting and when I got back from and started high school, everyone was all over me! Things were said like, “Wow! Nice dog!” and “How did you get her? Where did you get her? How old is she?” and of course, “What is the dog’s name? and “Can I pet her?” I was truly unaware of how much a boy magnet this guide dog was until a boy came and sat with me at lunch just this past week! I am in a program at Stanly Early College, and I will complete my high school and associates degree in four years.

There is not one day that goes by that I do not learn something about my dog, Steady Allie. She is truly a blessing to me and she has changed my life for the better.

She is a multi-purpose dog! She is my blanket, my pilliow, my baby, my fan when she wags her tail, my friend, my sweet big old cuddlety teddy bear and, of course she is my eyes. I love her so much and I am so happy with my life now with her!