by John Tovey
‘Now just relax,’ Emma told us both. ‘Relax and try your best, and whatever you do, John, just go with Dez. Trust your dog.’
I gulped nervously.
No pressure there, then!
‘Right,’ said Emma, taking a step back.
She stood to the side with a man called Alun, who would be marking us, but more importantly, he was the man who would decide our fate.
My belly rumbled as I tried to think of nice things to take my nerves away.
Strawberries. Strawberries and cream. Ice cream and monkey’s blood. Jam doughnuts, strawberry shortcake, hmmm… My mouth began to drool.
‘Dez,’ said Emma, snapping me back into the moment. ‘Right, John, whenever you’re ready.’
As I tried to concentrate on the walk ahead, I felt Dad’s hand trembling through the harness. I’d be leading Dad to his friends’ house, a couple called Bob and Kath. I knew the route well because we’d practised it for weeks. In fact, I knew it like the back of my paw
But what if I put a paw wrong? What if I take a wrong turn?
I shook my head to try and rid the negative thought from my head. That wouldn’t happen because we’d worked hard, and now I was ready. I tried my best to slow my legs down and not walk too fast, but Dad was great because, like me, he was a fast walker too – Emma had matched us well. We walked the route to perfection and we were almost there when I turned the final corner.
Oh no! I gasped.
Usually clear, the pavement had been blocked by some roadwork barriers, which had fallen over onto it.
There’s no way Dad will be able to step over them. I panicked, my mind going blank. Now, think! Remember what they taught you at Guide Dog School. Stay calm and think it through.
So I took a deep breath; I knew what I had to do. As we approached the obstruction, I realised Dad’s natural instinct would be to carry straight on. If he had, then he would’ve fallen over the barriers blocking the path. Instead, I came to a sudden halt.
‘Eh?’ I heard Dad mumble because he knew we shouldn’t stop there.
I turned towards the road and looked left, then right, watching all the time.
Go with me on this one, Dad, just trust me, I begged.
‘Find your way, Dez,’ he insisted, giving me the green light to make the right decision.
This was it.
Although he was wondering where on earth I was leading him, I knew Dad believed in me and that gave me the strength to carry on.
Left. Clear. Right. Clear. Left. Still clear. Right. Still clear, I muttered to myself, checking the road again for traffic until I knew it was safe to take Dad onto it. We wouldn’t be crossing it, but walking up alongside the kerb and then back onto the pavement as soon as it was safe to do so. Although it was only a few precious steps, I knew I had to be extra-careful. Soon enough, we were back on the pavement, safe and sound, clear of the obstruction and only steps from Bob and Kath’s front door.
We’d made it!
With the test at an end, Emma came rushing over to congratulate us.
‘It was a gold badge moment – Dez was magnificent – you both were!’
I felt proud of both Dad and me because I knew we’d come such a long way in such a short space of time. Once home, Emma handed us our very own guide-dog harness. It was a symbol we’d done it. After she left, I nudged Dad’s hand with my nose, lifted my head and urged him to put the harness on.
What are we waiting for? I said, dancing around.
‘Come on then, why not?’ Dad grinned, as we burst out through the front door and headed over to the community shop to share the good news.
Of course, everyone was delighted and before I knew it, we were the talk of the village. John and Dez, or Dez and John – we were a team and no one and nothing could ever part us!
CHAPTER 17
LOLLIPOP THIEF
My reputation as a guide dog spread through the village until soon it was Valentine’s Day and cards started falling through the letterbox. Dad preened himself, sat down and waited for a friend to read them out. But the smile was soon wiped off his face when his mate told him they were all addressed to ME!
See, I giggled, rolling on the floor, laughing. Told you I’m better-looking than you!
The shock on his face was priceless. It’d been the same when our birthdays arrived – I’d received so many cards that Dad put his next to mine so that he looked more popular.
‘I have to admit, Dez, everybody loves you,’ he laughed, tickling my ear.
I know, what can I say? I’m a superstar! I giggled.
But it was only a joke because I knew no one loved me more than Dad, and I felt exactly the same.
We had such a good life together. When we were out walking, I met loads of new friends, including Isla, a beautiful flat-coated black retriever. Her mum and dad were doctors, and they were good friends with John.
‘So, you’re a guide dog?’ Isla began.
‘Yes, that’s right, I’m newly qualified,’ I said, sticking my chest out proudly.
‘Ooh, how exciting!’ she squealed.
Isla and I became good friends, and I began to look forward to our walks because I knew I would get to spend time with her. It wasn’t long before I’d fallen for Isla and we started going out together. Then I met Jangle, who belonged to a lovely woman called Monica, who worked for Guide Dogs.
‘I’ve heard lots about you,’ Jangle cooed, fluttering her eyelashes, and in that moment I was smitten again. I was just a hopeless romantic, and before I knew it I’d fallen for both of them. They were the same type of dog and equally lovely, but I couldn’t choose between them, so I kept them a secret from one another.
Although they were supposed to be a secret, I received Valentine’s cards from both Isla and Jangle, which was a little awkward. I’d also got more from Pippa and Sophie. I loved the girls especially because they’d asked their school to become involved in helping to raise more money for Guide Dogs, so John and I visited one day. We’d walked into Assembly and the whole school had been waiting to greet us, which was fantastic. The children vowed to raise as much money as they could for Guide Dogs to help pay for more dogs like me, and they did. It made me feel proud that I’d helped make a difference. Life was certainly on the up, so when Dad and I strolled through a shopping centre one afternoon I felt really happy. In fact, I was so happy, padding along, that for a split second, I almost forgot I was a guide dog because all I could see was a little girl heading towards me in her pushchair, holding a red-coloured lollipop.
Hmmm, strawberries, I sighed, my mouth watering at the thought.
As the girl came closer, she spotted me sniffing the air and held the lollipop out towards me.
For me? I asked. Are you sure? Don’t you want it yourself?
But the toddler didn’t answer; instead, she stuck the lolly right underneath my nose as we walked by.
Well, it’d be rude not to, I thought as I opened my mouth and plucked the lolly from her hand.
Dad and me had only walked a minute or so longer when I heard a piercing cry: the toddler had changed her mind and now she wanted her lolly back! I dipped my head down as she pointed over at me, glad that Dad hadn’t seen what I’d done. Instead, my paws picked up pace as I tried to lead him towards the exit.
‘Excuse me…’ the little girl’s mother said, running after us.
‘Yes?’ Dad replied, stopping to turn around.
‘I’m sorry to bother you, but your dog has got, er, well, he’s got a lollipop sticking out of his mouth.’
I bowed my head in shame and tried to hide the lolly stick, but the strawberry tasted so delicious I couldn’t help but suck it. I knew once more I was letting my belly rule my head, only this time I didn’t care. It was my lolly, and I didn’t want to let it go!
SLURP!
‘What?’ gasped Dad.
‘Your dog,’ she said, beginning to giggle, ‘erm… it’s your dog, he’s… he’s got a lollipop in his mouth. Oh, he does l
ook funny!’ She smirked, before dissolving into fits of laughter.
By now, people had stopped to stare. A circle had gathered round to point and stare at me, the dog with the lolly. Dad put his hand down and ran his fingers along the edge of my velvety mouth until he’d located the lolly stick. Grabbing hold of it, he started tugging to try and pull it out of my mouth, but it tasted so delicious that I didn’t want to let go.
No, It’s mine! I whimpered. The little girl gave it to me; she’s just changed her mind, honestly!
‘I can smell it now, I should have known!’ Dad gasped in despair. ‘It’s strawberry flavour too – it’s his favourite. Come on, Dez, give it back!’
Nope! I decided, wrapping my tongue around it, giving it an almighty slurp. I haven’t stolen it – it was a present, so you can’t have it. It’s mine!
It soon became a lollipop tug of war but eventually, after a little tussle, Dad finally pulled the lolly out of the front of my mouth.
PLOP! It sounded as my lips smacked together.
Hey, I was enjoying that, spoilsport! I huffed.
‘Dez!’ Dad scolded, his voice so serious that I looked down guiltily.
Uh-oh, I’m in trouble – again!
The woman explained how her little girl had waved the lolly in front of my nose. She wasn’t angry because she thought it was funny.
‘I’m always telling her not to wave sweets about, but you know what kids are like.’ She laughed.
Dad huffed. ‘Yes, I know – I’m standing with a big kid on a lead right now,’ he said, nudging against me.
Dad put his hand in his pocket and gave the woman a pound so that she could buy her daughter lots more lollies. She tried to hand it back, but he refused.
‘No, please, take it.’
Then he tugged on the lead and told me to go forward.
‘A guide dog and a lollipop thief…’ he muttered, as we walked on. It made me feel even worse. ‘But sweets, and when you’re on duty…’
I wanted to argue that I hadn’t stolen it because the little girl had given it to me, but I knew he was right and I was wrong.
Sorry, Dad! I whimpered, but he wasn’t interested because he was so disappointed.
‘Home!’ he ordered.
That’s when I knew it, and not for the first time, my sweet tooth had got me in trouble.
CHAPTER 18
SUPERMARKETS, SCHOOLS AND SWIMMING POOLS
Although he was a little bit miffed with me for taking the lollipop, Dad didn’t stay cross for long. Instead, he volunteered us to take part in some major fundraising for Guide Dogs. So we met up with Monica and Diana, two fundraisers for the charity. I’d met them before and loved them both, especially Monica’s dog, Jangle, my other ‘secret’ girlfriend. A retired guide dog, who lived with Monica, Jangle was not only beautiful, but wise too. As we strolled in the park, Jangle turned to me: she had something to say.
‘Someone thought they’d seen you and me walking together last week, but I told them it couldn’t be me because I was out fundraising,’ she began.
I gulped down a nervous breath – I’d just been rumbled.
‘Erm, really?’ I said. My face blushed because I realised she was referring to my recent walk with Isla. ‘They must’ve been mistaken. It can’t have been me. I’ve been busy… and…’ I stammered.
‘It was you, because they recognised John,’ she insisted.
GULP!
I held a paw up to my mouth, desperately trying to think of a good excuse. It was hard being in love with two women.
‘Now, let me think. Yes, I did bump into another black retriever. Come to think of it, yes, I suppose she does look a little bit like you, though obviously not as beautiful.’
Jangle dipped her head and blushed slightly.
‘You’d charm the birds out of the trees, Dezzy boy, do you know that?’ She smirked. ‘But listen, there’s something I need to tell you.’
‘What’s that?’ I asked, relieved she’d changed the subject.
‘We desperately need to raise funds for Guide Dogs. If we don’t, then there’ll be lots of people like John, who won’t be able to have a dog,’ Jangle explained.
‘What? You mean there’ll be people like Dad, who won’t be given a dog?’ I gasped.
Jangle nodded sadly. ‘It’s money, Dez. It costs a fortune to train a dog like you, and Guide Dogs is a charity, so it relies on the public to help support it and keep it going.’
‘But if we don’t raise enough money, then we won’t be able to train more dogs. What happens then?’
Jangle stopped in her tracks and looked me directly in the eye. ‘I don’t know. That’s why we need people to help raise money, and as a guide dog, it’s pretty much your duty, Dez.’
She was right, and the thought of Guide Dogs not being able to train more pups horrified me.
‘But how do I do it? I mean, what do I do?’
‘You just have to smile and be polite,’ Jangle explained. (She’d been to lots of fundraising events with Monica so she was an old hand, or paw, at that sort of thing.)
‘But what if people don’t like me? What if they don’t give us any money?’
Jangle stifled a giggle. ‘What? With a cute little face like that?’ She smiled, brushing my cheek with her paw. ‘Who could resist?’
And Jangle was right: as soon as people saw Dad and me standing in the foyer of the local supermarket with a collection tin, they came over. Not everyone was friendly, because some people were in a rush, but I tried to catch the eye of every single person because I needed to help raise vital funds to train more dogs.
‘Hello,’ a woman said, smiling as she stroked me.
‘Hello,’ John replied.
I looked up at him.
Daaad, she’s talking to me, not you! I whined, standing up.
‘What a beautiful dog! What’s his name?’ she asked, turning her attention back towards Dad.
‘He’s called Dez and he’s my lifesaver.’
I sat as Dad explained how he’d lost his eyesight but how I’d come along and changed his life for the better. The woman listened and when he’d finished, she dropped loads of pound coins into our collection tin.
Well done, Dad, we’re one step closer to funding another dog like me!
Moments later, a young mum spoke to us.
‘I just had to come over and say hello. It’s your dog – as soon as I walked in, he looked straight at me. Is it okay if my son strokes him?’
Course it is, I said, jumping to my feet. The more strokes, the better!
Afterwards, she put even more coins in our tin.
This is easy! I thought happily.
We needed to raise money because Jangle had explained that it costs Guide Dogs £400 a week to train a dog like me. Sadly, money doesn’t grow on trees, and I was worried that without fundraisers like Monica, Diana, and Jangle, there’d be lots more Johns, sad and alone. Raising money was a huge job because it costs £50,000 to fund one guide dog throughout its life. I knew Dad and I wouldn’t be able to raise that much, but the thought we were raising something made me feel good.
‘We’re doing really well, Dezzy boy,’ he said, patting me on the head.
I know, I’m the one doing all the hard work! I grinned as I continued to eyeball every person who came through the door.
By the time we’d finished, our collection tin was full and we were both shattered. Still, Dad volunteered us to do more fundraising, but I didn’t mind because I loved all the attention.
One day, we were raising money in another supermarket when an elderly lady wandered over towards us.
‘Excuse me, would it be okay to give your dog a treat?’ she enquired.
Treat! My ears pricked up as soon as I heard it. I scrambled onto all fours eagerly, but the lady explained she had to go into the supermarket first to buy it. My face drooped in disappointment. For the next hour, I watched and waited for her to reappear. When she finally did so, I bounced up onto all four pa
ws and started to dance in circles.
Treat, treat, treat! I panted.
I watched as she handed a packet to Dad and walked away. But he was unable to see what she’d given him, so he called after her to ask what it was.
‘Oh, it’s a Twix,’ she replied.
I watched as the expression on his face changed from one of delight to disappointment. But I was truly shocked when I saw him slide the chocolate bar sneakily into the top pocket of his jacket. I looked up, my eyes boring into his, willing him to give it to me.
‘No, you can’t have it mate,’ he insisted. ‘It’s chocolate, it could kill you!’
I huffed and slumped back down on the floor.
Spoilsport!
But Dad was right: dogs aren’t allowed chocolate and for a very good reason, which is that we can die from it, even I knew that. It was hard letting the chocolate go, but when I thought about what it could do to me, for once I lost my appetite.
Following our success in supermarkets, we started visiting workplaces and then schools. I loved going into schools because the children would cuddle and smother me with kisses. Also, I wanted to teach them how important guide dogs are and also the job we do, changing peoples’ lives every single day.
One day, Dad was sitting in a primary school talking to a group of children, who were covering him in ‘Transformer’ stickers. I tried not to laugh – he looked so funny with his ‘Transformers’ jacket.
‘It’s okay to stroke and cuddle a guide dog when he’s not working,’ he told the children, ‘but you must never distract one when he’s working because he needs to concentrate at all times.’
‘Is Dez off-duty now?’ a little boy asked.
‘He is.’ John grinned.
Within seconds, I was surrounded by a dozen children all wanting to kiss me and stroke my fur. I was mobbed, but I lifted my head up in midst of the scrum to look at Dad.