Dudley and 51-year-old Canberra man, Scott Grimley, are the best of friends. Staunchly faithful, Dudley never leaves Scott’s side while wearing his harness.
When CW met up with the pair, Scott graciously removed Dudley’s harness so we could give the ‘good boy’ a pat, and barely a minute later the clever canine told Scott to put him back to work.
“I call Dudley ‘c’mom, harness on’ and he comes running up and puts his head through the harness and I do it up and his tails wagging and out we go,” says Scott.
“If his harness is off and he’s fed up with everybody patting him, he just nudges the harness.”
Which is exactly what Dudley did to CW… apparently, he had enough of our pats.
When Scott was 12 years old, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa – a condition where the retina is deprived of oxygen. He was declared legally blind in 1998, two days before his 28th birthday.
Four years ago, Dudley came into the picture as his Guide Dog and Scott says the black labrador has just opened up the world for him.
The relief he feels just knowing Dudley is by his side is immeasurable, particularly compared to the struggles he faced when he walked with a cane.
“It just fills you with a little bit more confidence instead of being scared about the world and whether you’re going to trip down some stairs or walk into somebody who’s going to get cranky, or wear somebody’s coffee… you don’t,” explains Scott.
“You’re not worrying about people kicking your cane out of your hand because they’re phone blind. They walk around playing with their phone and they kick your cane over your hand and it’s three metres away and they’re gone, and you can’t find your cane. Now, I’ve got Dudley.
“I just [say] ‘Come on Dudley, let’s go’ and off we go. I tell him to find the location and if we’ve been there before, he’ll take me straight to the door and I don’t have to worry. I say, ‘find work’ and he’ll take me to Platform 8, no matter where we are in the city.”
Having Ubers cancel on him, refusal of service at cafes and restaurants, and people accusing him of faking his disability so his dog can come into their business, are just some of the issues Scott continues to face.
Education and awareness is the key to solving the ignorance, says Scott, and he’s always been happy to share the knowledge, and maybe shift someone’s viewpoint.
When asked why people should support Guide Dogs, he says people fail to realise they’re just one step away from joining the “club of disability”.
A small act in your day-to-day life could cause you to need a guide dog, a hereditary disease you’re unaware of, an accident walking down the street – the list goes on.
“You just never know when you might need their services, or a family member might need those services. It helps to help the charities that one day might help you,” says Scott.
“You’re also helping people like me get out into the world,” he says.
“We’re not sitting at home, listening to the radio, doing nothing on a government pension; we’re actually getting out there and working. I work fulltime, and if it wasn’t for people like Guide Dogs showing me how to use a cane, use a mini guide, have a guide dog, I probably wouldn’t have that job now.
“I joined a new department during the lockdown, and I’ve been promoted twice. I probably wouldn’t have even stepped out the door three years ago, five years ago when I didn’t have Dudley. He’s given me the confidence to get out into the world and try.
“Then to watch people be successful, what better way of saying ‘here’s five bucks’ and knowing that your five bucks helped fund a guide dog that allows a person to have a life and not be a burden on welfare.”
So, if you’ve ever wondered where the coins you’ve dropped into the big Guide Dog donation dogs go – it’s to help people like Scott.
Pawfect day for pictures with pups
Today, Saturday 26 November, is Canberra’s op’paw’tunity to interact with the Guide Dogs in-training at the Pat and Chats tour.
Hosted at Old Parliament House, ticketholders are given the chance to ask questions, learn how guide dogs support people with low vision and blindness, and spend two and a half hours patting these clever four-legged friends.
Guide Dogs mobility instructor Ryan Jones said the event is a wonderful opportunity for the public to meet the fantastic Guide Dogs community and the dogs that change the lives of so many.
“Following a tough two years of the pandemic, it is great to be finally getting back out into the community with events such as the Pat and Chats, to help raise awareness but also celebrate the fantastic ongoing support from these communities,” says Ryan.
Scott listed off the many reasons why someone could need a Guide Dog, and they’re far from just for blindness.
“They provide pets as therapy dogs, therapy dogs go to the courts here in Canberra, they go out to facilities, and they’re used for helping kids with autism and other mental health conditions and cognitive impairments,” he says.
“Guide Dogs are more than just blind people hanging onto a harness. So when people come out to Old Parliament House on the weekend, they get a chance to meet some of the up-and-coming – the puppies.
“They may be Guide Dogs, they may be pets as therapy dogs, they get to meet people like me and ask questions that they probably usually wouldn’t ask. I’m happy to answer anybody’s questions about anything to do with blindness and vision impairment, no matter how awkward they think it might be. I’ve been asked some doozies, don’t worry,” laughs Scott.
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