Dawn and her Labrador Cross

Dawn Crombie-Dick, 73, is a retired physiotherapist from West Sussex. Her Seeing Dog, Rosa, qualified in January 2023 

The Covid-19 lockdown was tough on many people, but for Dawn life suddenly became much smaller. Her last guide dog, Freya, was forced to retire through ill health in 2020, adding a loss of independence to the isolation that we all felt during lockdown. 

“It meant I couldn’t go out alone for a walk,” she explains. “I’ve got my husband, Chris, and obviously we’d still do all sorts of things together, but not having that sense of freedom takes something from your soul.” 

Dawn was born with limited sight, which she lost completely at the age of 13. That said, she’s always been one to get on. She learned to walk with a cane but was overjoyed – at the age of 21 – to get the first of her [now] nine guide dogs. 

“Having a dog opens up the world. With a cane you really have to concentrate and so exist almost in a little tunnel. With a dog, I feel like I experience the world – I hear the birds, the baby crying in a pushchair on the other side of the street, the planes overhead. You’re living life, and I was free because I had lots of wonderful dogs to help me through.” 

Faced with a long wait for Freya’s replacement, Dawn turned to the Seeing Dogs Alliance. “I’d heard of the charity before but researched its ethos and really liked what I read – especially the fact that they concentrate solely on training dogs,” she says. “I had been without a dog for more than two years, which was especially difficult because I’d had one for all of the last 50!” 

Dawn made her application at the start of 2020 and within six months got news that Rosa, a year-old   Labrador/Retriever cross could be a possible match. They met in September, and regularly while training continued. In January 2023 it was time for the final one-to-one sessions. 

“The Seeing Dogs Alliance look to cater for your individual needs.,” she says. “Trainer John and I worked out my favourite local routes – the local shops first, then into the centre of town and the park. Rosa can take me to my friend’s boutique, to the coffee shop I like, and the hall where Chris and I sing in the choir. She even knows the way to Marks & Spencer!” 

In all, Dawn had been without a trusted canine companion for three years before Rosa arrived, and she recalls a time earlier in her life when she used to talk about her blindness – and the value of dogs – to local groups. 

“I’d go into schools and tell the kids to close their eyes tight and then imagine having to get out quickly in an emergency. I’d ask how stressful and frightening that would be. Without a dog I was in that situation again.  

“If you have a cane as a blind person you can function, but life is smaller and less safe. I’ve got two daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and want that freedom to get out to meet them.  

“Being able to do things on your own is liberating. Having a dog is life enhancing – it gives you your smile back.”