FERGUS – Kara Shaw wants to express her gratitude to the people who support Lions Clubs in Wellington County, because it’s the Fergus Lions Club and the Mount Forest Lions Club that helped her get Delight.
“She’s my seeing eye dog, she helps me get around, she makes sure I don’t go into traffic,” said Shaw, explaining the vital role played by her Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guide.
She went on to list some of the special ways Delight has been trained to help her navigate things like curbs, and stairs, find doorways, avoid obstacles, and more.
But the young black lab is not just a working dog to Shaw.
“Delight’s my best friend,” she said.
Now 34, Shaw has been blind since she was born prematurely at 23 weeks.
Also diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, Shaw is a gifted musician, whose performance schedule keeps her busy.
But she and Delight have been doing a lot of walking in May to show support for the Lions Foundation Dog Guides.
Her fundraising page can be found at walkfordogguides.com/fundraisers/karashaw.
“I am committed to walking 3km a day,” she said.
Shaw knows how to navigate with a cane if she has to, having only received her first service dog when she was 24 years old.
She says she avoided getting a service dog earlier in life, because she was worried about how she would manage with one at school, but she had pets.
“I had a pet dog named Toby. He wasn’t a service dog, but he knew to keep me off the road,” said Shaw. “They do have that instinct.”
Delight has only been with Shaw for a relatively short amount of time.
She describes the lab as a wonderful Christmas gift she received this past December thanks to the generosity of the Fergus and Mount Forest Lions clubs and a private sponsor.
To Shaw, Delight is a priceless gift, but she also knows there’s a hefty value attached.
Accounting for the breeding, foster care and specialized training, dog guides are costly animals, says Kara’s mother, Linda Shaw.
“By the time they get to the client, that dog is worth $35,000,” Linda said.
“All donations,” said Kara of how the costs are covered.
The dog’s original name was Elena, but if private sponsors donate a certain amount, they get to rename the dog, she explains.
In this case, the sponsors had a pet named Delight who passed away, and “they wanted to honour their late dog,” Kara said.
Delight replaces Kara’s previous service dog, Kendal, who Linda explained had reached retirement age before getting sick.
“It was cancer, so we had to put him down,” Linda said.
The family feels lucky to have received Delight when they did, because there is a shortage of service dogs since the COVID-19 pandemic, added Linda.
Pandemic restrictions interfered with training and fostering the dog guides, which are not just for vision assistance, said Kara.
They train dogs for hearing support, autism support, diabetic alert, seizure response, service for people with a physical or medical disability, and to provide support for vulnerable people who have experienced trauma.
Delight is a vision dog, and Kara’s constant companion.
Asked what a difference the dog has made to her, Kara lists innumerable ways Delight helps her every day.
“What we notice with Kara is she has so much more confidence when she goes out with the dog,” Linda said.
Kara wants to do her part to help support the programs by helping to raise money for the cause.
For others who want to help, the annual Pet Valu Walk for Dog Guides takes place June 9 at noon at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex.
For information, to sign up or donate, visit walkfordogguides.com/fundraisers/fergusandmarsvillelionsclubs.
