Happy #InternationalGuideDogDay . . . Today is International Guide Dog Day and I wanted to make a post showing my love and appreciation for both of my amazing guide dogs. Rosie 🖤 Unity 💛 I started my journey as a guide dog owner back in 2012 when I got my first guide dog Unity at the age of 18. Unity game into my life at the right time, I was a very vulnerable and unsure teenager who had virtually no self-confidence or faith in her own ability. Then walked in this beautiful, calm and caring golden retriever Labrador cross with a face of a teddy bear who took me under her care. She was honestly one of the loves of my life. I will forever be grateful to Unity for what she did for me in starting me on my journey as a guide dog owner. She taught me to have faith in myself and to be able to let go to all of the old anxiety and trauma that I had been carrying around for so long. Then fast forward to last year when I had retired Unity only six months earlier in February 2021. I honestly didn’t imagine to get my second dog so soon, but in a twist of fate I did. I remember sitting in the Guide Dogs office feeling very nervous about the prospect of meeting my would-be second guide dog. In walks this funny, charming and charismatic black Labrador/Golden Retriever cross with the most expressive eyes I’ve ever seen. She instantly put a smile on to my face the minute I saw her and it’s not been far from my face ever since. Rosie is a very clever girl, i’ve never seen a dog who can remember things so quickly like she can. She is a city girl through and through who has absolutely no qualms about hopping onto the escalators when I go onto the tube. Rosie has not only has become my second guide dog, but also my close friend. We both went through grief when we lost Unity. Rosie had lost her sister and I had lost my first love. But we found solace in each other and it fortified our relationship. I know that I’m going to be blessed with many years of wonderful memories with Rosie just like I was with Unity and I hope to be able to share as much of them with you as possible I will always be grateful to @guidedogsuk for what they have done for me. #GuideDogs (at Rye, East Sussex) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc29n-rKDUK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
