0:10

On Virgin Australia Radio. You're listening to the

0:12

single show with me, your host Muffet.

0:15

Today I'm joined by two guests.

0:17

I have Shelley White, a singer, Alex

0:19

Handler, coming to talk to us about her singing, even

0:22

in recognition of National

0:24

Golden Retriever Day, which was on Saturday

0:27

the 3rd of February. And then I'm going to

0:29

be joined by Brooke Anderson for a repeat

0:31

episode where she will talk to us about

0:33

the equipment that single track handlers and dog handlers

0:35

can use. And now we're going to start with

0:37

the interview with Shelley. Hi,

0:46

Shelley, thank you for joining me on the show today.

0:48

Thank you for having me. So I would love

0:51

if you'd be happy to start off by introducing yourself.

0:53

And you're seeing it all right.

0:55

My name is Shelly, and I have a

0:57

golden retriever seeing eye dog called Evan.

1:00

How long have you and Evan been

1:02

working together for?

1:04

Uh, for nine and a half years

1:06

now.

1:07

Wow. So you guys basically

1:10

have been together. That's pretty much his,

1:12

you know, a whole working career, isn't it? You

1:14

would have seen him from a very young dog up to now.

1:17

Yes, absolutely. And he's now

1:19

ten.

1:21

Oh, which is a lovely lovely actually said it got

1:23

those double digits, you know. So I

1:25

imagine he's slightly whiter in the face than

1:28

he was when you first met him.

1:30

Yes, he's very well frosted, like, um,

1:32

white icing on a cake. Really?

1:35

Ah.

1:35

I've heard it referred to as, like, Sugar Face,

1:38

which I think is quite cute. You know, it's like sweet and,

1:40

um.

1:41

That's correct. Good enough to eat.

1:45

So in the time that you've,

1:48

um, been together, what

1:50

are the things about Evan that you

1:52

have loved the most?

1:55

I love the fact that, uh,

1:58

he never forgets how working roots.

2:01

Um, he'll indicate with

2:03

body language if we've taken the wrong

2:05

turn, as he knows

2:07

where we're going to be going. Um,

2:11

the fact that he gives me my

2:13

independence and I'm confidence to go out

2:16

in public. Um,

2:18

so he takes me around potholes,

2:20

finds locations for me.

2:23

Um, and I find it much easier with the dog,

2:25

the motor with the cane. Because there's

2:27

no teamwork with the cane where a dog.

2:30

It's. You're working as a team, you're working together.

2:32

You read each other. Um,

2:35

over time, it gets better and better

2:37

over time, once you get to know each other. And,

2:40

um, it just gets me out, and we enjoy

2:42

our time together.

2:44

Have you always been blind? I had

2:46

low vision.

2:48

I was born with, um, uh,

2:51

low vision. And it got worse over

2:53

time as I got older.

2:55

So kind of thinking back to it. And obviously this is going

2:58

a little bit a little bit back. What made

3:00

you decide to apply for a CIA dog?

3:03

Well, I didn't like the cane very much,

3:06

and I wasn't as confident with it.

3:09

Um, and I

3:11

thought with the dog and I heard about seeing

3:13

eye dogs, I thought, wow, what

3:15

a difference I think it could make to my life.

3:18

And it certainly has

3:20

gave me more freedom. Um,

3:23

I don't trip over potholes.

3:26

Excuse me. Or, um,

3:28

have difficulty finding my location.

3:32

Um. And if I get lost,

3:34

I'm not in panic mode with a dog

3:36

by my side.

3:38

And I'm guessing as well from some

3:41

of our previous conversations, is that it's

3:43

not just the kind of navigational

3:45

side that you that you like as well. So that

3:47

companionship is a pretty big part of it.

3:51

Oh, absolutely. They become like

3:53

your best friends. You're so gelled together.

3:55

You can read each other, sometimes

3:57

to the point you don't need words. Um,

4:00

and just enjoy every excuse,

4:03

my every aspect of each other. And and

4:05

you also meet people. It's amazing.

4:08

Through, um, social networks,

4:10

through your dog. And it just changes

4:12

your life and enriches in every single

4:14

way. Best companion

4:16

you can have.

4:18

So what are the some of the kind of, um, things

4:21

that you do in a typical day with

4:23

you and even.

4:25

Uh, well, we get up in the morning, he has

4:27

his breakfast, I get ready for the day.

4:30

Um, and then, uh, he

4:32

has these toilets. Put the harness on,

4:34

we go and locate the bus

4:36

stop. We get the bus,

4:38

we go down to the train station,

4:41

um, catch the train. So we

4:43

have different destinations

4:45

of routes where we're going to go. And we have our

4:47

whole day outing, um,

4:50

where I'd like to go. And

4:52

then we are able to get the

4:54

train back home and then get the bus,

4:56

and then we walk from our, uh,

4:58

main street towards home.

5:00

And then other days I break

5:02

it up, we'll have, uh, park time

5:05

because they're still dogs. They're going to have their social

5:07

time. Um, and then

5:09

other times we go for

5:11

a walk on a lead, and I use my cane to

5:13

keep our, um, lead work skills

5:15

up. And he has

5:17

a lot of fun at home as well.

5:21

Yeah, he definitely sounds like he's, um. He's

5:23

got a pretty good life as well. Not just kind

5:25

of. It's. There's a bit of work, and I'm sure he loves

5:27

that, but, um. Yeah, he's got a bit

5:29

of free time of his own, doesn't he?

5:31

Oh, absolutely. Because it's important. They're still

5:33

dogs at the end of the day. And it's good for their mentality

5:36

to de-stress, decompress from

5:38

working because it's high pressure. They

5:40

have to concentrate at such a high level.

5:43

Um, and it's good for him just to relax

5:45

and eat and de-stress and at home,

5:48

that's home where he can just really

5:50

chill out because that's important

5:52

too, for their health, uh, mental

5:54

and physical as well. It's

5:56

really important that they still get to be dogs,

5:58

as well as working with what they're

6:00

trying to do, and they enjoy it. But that's still important

6:03

to, uh, for a healthy lifestyle.

6:06

In the time that you've been together, are there any

6:08

particular, um, kind of, I guess,

6:11

outings that you've done, um, that you're

6:13

particularly kind of, you know, I guess,

6:15

fond memories of or are proud of.

6:19

Uh, yep. We do, uh, normally Thursdays

6:21

bushwalking tracks. So we do different

6:23

areas, um, locations,

6:26

um, in the cooler weather. So

6:28

we don't have to worry about snakes and things.

6:30

Um, and also,

6:33

um, been to Melbourne

6:35

Aquarium. That was achievement to go on

6:37

our own. So that was really cool.

6:39

And he enjoyed that too. And

6:41

made friends with an Emperor penguin, which was really

6:43

sweet.

6:45

Did they interact with each other?

6:47

Through the glass windows, the actual

6:50

work as they were. We're quite amused

6:52

by it and even was given it kisses through the

6:54

glass window being friends. And

6:59

I've just achieved, like many things like going,

7:01

you know, to different places, shopping

7:03

centers. That's a big achievement

7:05

for me because I never used to do things on

7:08

my own with the cane.

7:09

Yeah.

7:09

I never enjoyed it. I didn't have the

7:11

confidence and all that where having

7:14

even I enjoy every

7:16

single moment of getting out together.

7:19

Um, it just boosts your

7:21

confidence. Getting out in the community and going

7:23

to places gives them independence. I don't have to

7:25

rely on anyone. I can go wherever I want to

7:27

go. Moonee ponds for a coffee,

7:29

um, go to Kmart, uh, Bendigo,

7:33

uh, Woodend, um, all different

7:35

places. And even been to hanging Rock as well.

7:38

Hanging out there. That's

7:40

because, like.

7:40

Hanging Rock is a pretty, um, pretty solid walk,

7:43

that one.

7:44

It's really good. And then, you know, you

7:46

can also have a lot of bushwalking tracks

7:48

around the surrounds too, which is quite lovely

7:51

as well. Being one with nature, I guess.

7:55

So kind of looking, looking

7:57

back and prior to having

7:59

Evan, um, or

8:02

or I guess having just received Evan. Um,

8:05

is there anything that kind of

8:07

surprised you about having a scenario that you

8:09

now or that you didn't know at the time before

8:11

you had one?

8:13

Are how highly trained they are. And,

8:16

um, all the commands. There were so

8:18

much to learn, even with me. I

8:20

had to learn all that. True. And

8:22

I didn't realize that the freedom

8:25

that you can have with your dog

8:27

and the enjoyment even that's working, it's

8:29

so much joy. It's joy because

8:31

you're getting out, being together. There's nothing

8:34

like it. And you don't have to wait for anyone.

8:36

You know, I can just say to

8:38

my dog, hey, we're going to go

8:40

here today. Let's go and do it. And

8:42

then off we go. And it's

8:44

so much enjoyment. Being

8:47

with your dog and the independents who don't have

8:50

to rely on anyone like where I did before.

8:52

But with Evan, I have so much

8:54

freedom and it's amazing what they're

8:56

trying to do and how they remember, um,

8:59

your routine where you places, where

9:01

you go, the shops where

9:03

the escalators are, the lift stays,

9:06

train stations. They never forget anything

9:09

after one go. That blew my mind.

9:11

And it still does.

9:12

And he's still kind of quite active and out and about.

9:15

If you guys are still doing kind of yeah, your big public

9:17

transport journeys and all of that type of stuff.

9:20

Even at the age of ten.

9:23

Yeah. Hey, look, he's slowing down now,

9:25

which is understandable. So, um,

9:27

I sort of, uh, don't

9:29

work him out of town now. Um,

9:32

because he's over that. But luckily, at home

9:34

town, we, um, in the summer

9:37

months, we will work down the shops. He

9:39

still enjoys that, um,

9:41

winter. Yeah, we during the day, we do

9:43

shopping, different things. And he just enjoys

9:45

that. Um, he's in good health. I've always,

9:48

um, brought 3 or 4 sick towels. We've

9:50

gone out to keep him off the cold ground. So

9:53

whether that's worked in our favor, I'm

9:55

just lucky. I don't know, um,

9:57

but he's been in good health. And

9:59

as I say, he's just legs. He's just slowing

10:01

down. He's getting the golden, uh, wobbles,

10:04

as I call it. Oh, um, and

10:06

he has these off days to where he's like, I,

10:08

you know, I don't want to go out today, and

10:11

that's fine. Yeah. So,

10:13

you know, he needs to, like, rest more.

10:16

Um, and 1 or 2 days is

10:18

really enough for him now. Um,

10:20

so I've, I've worked at, um,

10:23

but he's capabilities, and

10:25

you have to go with that because he's

10:27

not young anymore. Um, unfortunately.

10:30

So. Yeah. And it's getting to that

10:32

time where, um, soon he'll

10:35

be heading into retirement. And

10:38

rightly so. I mean, he's worked so hard.

10:40

And what does retirement. Um, what is

10:43

that kind of looking like for Evan

10:45

at the moment?

10:47

It's looking pretty good. So right at this

10:49

minute I'm on the list for

10:51

a new one, a Goldie. Of course, I

10:54

love their hair brushing and all that. They're

10:56

just beautiful in every way for me. Um,

10:58

so when that happens, the

11:00

new dog comes, he gets to retire and gets

11:02

released from seeing eye dogs. Um,

11:05

and he gets to enjoy life at home.

11:08

Um, and just a lot of lead walks,

11:11

and there's no harness

11:13

that will be placed on him anymore. Live

11:17

a good life.

11:17

And so he'll stay with you as you're,

11:20

um, kind of, you know, pet dog and companion.

11:23

Oh, 100%. Yeah. Absolutely.

11:26

We're you know, I'm one of those

11:28

ones where I'm lucky, I'm able to keep him. And

11:30

I couldn't let go. Um.

11:33

And I couldn't do that to him.

11:35

I can imagine, after so

11:38

many years of working together, that the idea of

11:40

separating would be pretty difficult. I suppose if

11:42

you, you know, if that's something that

11:44

you know you have to do, I suppose that's a necessity.

11:46

But, um, if you have the ability

11:48

to, um, really nice to be

11:50

able to kind of spend that retirement time with him.

11:54

100%. He'd be the type

11:56

where he'd. His health would go down.

11:58

He would stop eating. Um,

12:01

he wouldn't cope with anyone else. And

12:03

I guess I would get stressed

12:05

out myself and I'd be crying. And

12:08

it wouldn't be the same without having Evan

12:11

at home with me. I couldn't imagine life

12:13

without him really. In working. Retirement?

12:16

Yeah. It's a you know,

12:18

I couldn't I just couldn't do it. Their bond is just

12:20

so strong. We're just inseparable,

12:23

really. Um, and I'm

12:25

glad that I get to do that for him and

12:27

still take great care of him and

12:29

let him enjoy his retirement and get

12:31

to be just a normal dog

12:34

every day.

12:36

Well, that's pretty cool.

12:36

You have a friend as well to play with,

12:39

which is good at home.

12:40

I think that's pretty exciting, really, isn't it? It's a

12:42

different, different kind of chapter for both

12:44

of you. And he's only he's only your first thing I do

12:46

because I think you might have said absolutely.

12:49

Yeah. Yep. Um, I had the cane for

12:51

about 2 or 3 years, I think,

12:53

before I had even and before

12:55

that I had a German Shepherd for 14

12:57

years. Um, so

13:00

I always had dogs and all that all my life. And,

13:02

uh, I just couldn't fathom the thought of

13:05

ever letting go. Really. Just

13:07

don't have that in me at all.

13:10

Well, he's, uh, he's very lucky to have

13:12

some nice retirement plans. Um,

13:14

coming up to look forward to

13:16

when you're, um. I suppose

13:18

thinking about your own future with a potential

13:21

next dog. Um, is

13:23

there anything that you're kind of planning to do?

13:26

Um, yeah. With this, with your new companion.

13:29

Getting ahead of time.

13:32

Yeah. Just, uh, the same as

13:34

what I've done with Evan. Um, I must

13:36

have done everything right, because he's always been

13:38

happy and getting to know the routines.

13:40

And I'll have the dog used to the

13:42

routine that I did with Evan, um,

13:45

and do the same old, um,

13:48

working routes, uh, walking

13:50

tracks build up their fitness because

13:52

you got to do it gradually. Because when

13:54

I had Evan fitter than him. So

13:56

I had to slowly build him up with my pace.

13:59

And they're still young and they're still growing

14:01

because Goldens, um, don't

14:04

start to mature till about three and a half

14:06

and he's still filling out and all that sort

14:08

of stuff. So the new dog, I'll do the same. And,

14:10

you know, um, gradually build

14:12

up their fitness to the good level. Um,

14:15

and then, yeah, we'll be doing

14:17

bushwalking tracks. Um, go

14:19

to the Melbourne Aquarium, Amesbury,

14:22

which is lovely. Loch nice dog park,

14:24

their walking areas as

14:26

well. Shopping centres.

14:28

Uh, beach holidays like I did with Evan.

14:31

Um, and that's really good for building

14:33

strength for the dogs legs and salt. Water's

14:35

good for the skin. And also.

14:38

So I'll be doing the same. And the new dog will

14:40

have the same good life as well.

14:42

So just to kind of finish off, is there

14:45

anything that you would like to

14:47

share with the listeners about? Um, yeah.

14:49

Well, about anything kind of seeing eye dogs um,

14:51

or. Yeah, anything that,

14:54

um, that you would like to share.

14:56

Um, just look to, you know, um,

14:59

if people can put it out there, um,

15:01

to help promote, because you do need

15:03

puppy carers, and it's an amazing

15:06

gift that you can do for someone like myself

15:08

with low vision, um,

15:11

to give independence

15:13

and enrich our lives. Because without

15:15

the dogs, where would we be

15:17

without them?

15:20

Well, thank you so much for joining me on

15:22

the show. I'm looking forward to finding

15:24

out who you get matched with. Um, probably

15:27

either with the puppy care or in training right now. How

15:29

exciting.

15:31

It is very exciting. I'm looking

15:33

forward to it. And, um, getting to know the new

15:35

dog and they'll test me out as they

15:37

do. But that's the exciting part as

15:40

well, of getting to know each other and start

15:42

up another chapter of a new journey. And thank you

15:44

for having me.

15:50

You've been listening to the auto show on Virgin Australia

15:52

Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interview with

15:54

Shelley talking about her singing duck Evan. In

15:56

recognition of National Golden Retriever Day on

15:59

February 3rd. Now I'm going

16:01

to be joined by Brooke Anderson, Senior Dogs

16:03

instructor, talking about equipment that we can

16:05

use for seeing eye dogs and dog guides. This

16:07

is a repeat, but a great episode

16:09

that talks a little bit about some of the choices that

16:11

a handler can make when working their dog.

16:14

Thank you for listening to the Single Dog show.

16:16

Hi Brooke, thanks for joining me on the show today.

16:18

No, thanks for having me.

16:20

So we are going to talk a little bit about some

16:22

of the equipment that that you

16:24

use or that clients will use out with

16:26

their seeing eye dog. So I'm

16:28

going to start off with what is

16:31

seeing dogs standard harness like.

16:34

So seeing eye dog harness that we currently

16:36

um issue as a standard

16:39

um, is a fabric sort of

16:41

panel that goes from the

16:44

left side of the dog to the right and

16:46

on the back of the dog there, it has sort of a yellow patch

16:49

that says, seeing eye dogs to give

16:51

you the identification side.

16:54

Um, it has a strap that goes

16:56

around, um, the chest of

16:58

the dog, and that's a reflective panel.

17:01

So it has some stitching in there. Um,

17:03

for if calves do at

17:05

nighttime, um, their light shine on

17:07

them, and then it has one strap that goes

17:09

under the belly side. And

17:11

that's just to make sure it doesn't shift around.

17:14

Um, in terms of the handle,

17:17

um, the handle clip up

17:19

on the left and right side of the dog. Um,

17:21

and it can be of various lengths depending

17:24

on the height of the person. So it

17:26

is a metal handle, um, with

17:28

a sign, uh, on

17:30

it as well that says, please do not distract me.

17:32

Um, which again gives that

17:34

identification.

17:37

What is included in a standard

17:39

Seeing Dogs client pack, which is given

17:42

out, I guess, during class or client training.

17:45

Yeah, so when a client starts training, they do get

17:47

an additional equipment pack. Um, and

17:49

that's just to set the dog up for

17:51

the sort of, um, first

17:54

little bit of working. It will

17:56

cover things such as a dog bowl. They

17:58

won't really appreciate if we don't give that

18:00

one over. It's their most important thing. If

18:03

you ask the dog, um, a

18:05

measuring cup and dog whistle.

18:07

So that's again, all feeding related.

18:10

We also give, um, two grooming brushes,

18:13

um, so that they can be groomed

18:15

regularly. Uh, a lead,

18:18

uh, seeing eye, dog harness, a dog

18:20

bed and a spare dog bed cover, um,

18:23

so that they can be washed regularly. Um,

18:26

it also covers. Uh,

18:29

dog boots for clients who

18:31

require them, and Nyla Bone, which

18:34

is for enrichment so

18:36

that they can chew on. And then also a tether

18:38

as well. Um, so that once

18:40

they're trying to acclimatize to a house,

18:42

we can sort of help them with their with that.

18:45

So I think the seeing eye dog leads

18:48

that are offered to clients

18:50

are those double clipped ones. Why do you

18:52

use those leads that have the two

18:54

clips on the ends?

18:56

Yeah. So in terms of the dog leads that

18:58

we use, um, so

19:00

they do double up on each other. Um,

19:02

and the reason for that is once

19:04

you unclip one end, it becomes one

19:07

long lead. Um, the

19:09

long lead is for things such

19:11

as toileting, um, with the dogs.

19:13

Giving them more space means that they,

19:16

um, have more sort of opportunity

19:19

to go, um, on

19:21

the space that you've designated that's

19:23

also can be used as a makeshift tether,

19:26

um, as well, if required. The

19:28

shorter lead is when we're guiding and also

19:30

walking. So it means that you have a little bit

19:32

more control over the dog. Um, because

19:34

they're not, you know, nearly a meter in front of

19:36

you. They're right beside you on a shorter lead.

19:39

Um, so it just gives more options, uh,

19:41

when sort of working, um,

19:44

and toileting your dog.

19:45

Should you always or do you always

19:48

walk work the dog with

19:50

a lead as well, not just holding the harness.

19:52

Yeah. Correct. So we always have a lead,

19:55

um, attached to the dog as well as

19:57

the harness. So when the client is working, they'll

19:59

hold the harness in their left hand and

20:01

the lead is just tucked under the fingers that

20:03

are holding on to the hand. Or the

20:05

reason that we need the lead, um, in

20:07

this situation is because if a

20:09

client gets to a cafe and needs to pay,

20:11

they can drop the seeing eye dog handle and hold on

20:13

to the lead. Um, which is a little it's

20:15

not as rigid as the handle. And so it gives you

20:18

a little bit more flexibility to get things

20:20

such as your wallet and everything. The

20:22

other reason that we need the lead, um, is

20:24

because if we do need to take off a harness at

20:27

any point, such as toileting, we have a method

20:29

of still, um, maintaining

20:31

control of the dog. Uh, and

20:33

we also need the lead for things such

20:35

as direction, uh, distractions.

20:38

And so if the dog does become distracted,

20:41

we can use the lead to support them to get past

20:43

that.

20:45

So we talk a little bit about we spoke

20:47

a bit about harnesses before.

20:49

What are the other types of harnesses that

20:51

are available and why might

20:53

you use one over the other?

20:56

There are different harnesses out there now.

20:58

And so what we sort of

21:01

have, we have the sort of traditional

21:03

leather style hand harness,

21:06

um, with a lot of style handle.

21:09

Um, so some clients prefer that one. Um.

21:13

The other. That

21:15

one has an easier handle

21:17

removal mechanism. And so some people

21:19

prefer that if they are regularly traveling,

21:22

um, in and out of smaller

21:24

cars and things. Um, so that's an option

21:26

as to why someone might look at that. The

21:29

leather harness also can be used for

21:31

dogs that are a little bit more body sensitive. And

21:33

so, um, the handle, uh,

21:36

is designed to sit just above

21:38

their back and not on their back. And so some

21:40

dogs are a little bit more comfortable in that. Um,

21:42

the other harness that we have is a unique fly one.

21:45

Um, and that one is,

21:48

um, it has a fabric body

21:50

piece and has a single bar

21:52

handle. So instead of, um, the

21:54

harness handle being sort of

21:56

having to post,

21:58

um, uh, it only has one

22:01

single, um, connection to the harness,

22:04

that one sometimes it was originally designed

22:06

as a running harness. Um, but

22:09

now people are using it, um, for

22:11

everyday harness, um,

22:13

use ergonomic reasons, but also

22:15

sometimes for hiking purposes as well.

22:18

Is that the one where the handle

22:21

is kind of, um, I guess to the

22:23

side it's like vertical rather than horizontal.

22:26

Correct. Yeah. So that one, um, there's

22:29

a little bit more flexibility in the length

22:31

that the handle itself offers. Um,

22:33

and positioning as well. Um, there

22:35

are also with the leather handles you can get

22:38

um, ergonomic handles which are slightly offset.

22:40

And so some people find that a little bit more

22:42

comfortable, and especially if

22:45

there are, um, secondary

22:47

sort of conditions such as arthritis. Um,

22:49

we may explore something like that.

22:52

So how can you discuss the harness

22:54

that is right for you with your instructor?

22:58

So usually, um, it's a

23:00

we do it in two ways. So it's what's

23:02

right for the client and then what's also right

23:04

for the dog as well. So there will be situations

23:06

where the dog may be body sensitive.

23:08

And so we need to ensure for their well-being.

23:11

We're issuing a harness that they're comfortable in.

23:13

Um, in the case where any harness

23:15

sort of the dog is happy with, we

23:18

can always explore with the client, um, various

23:20

options. Um, we also

23:22

do have. Sorry, I did miss one before the Juliet

23:24

harness. Um, and that one is sort

23:26

of a combination. It's a between

23:29

what our standard harness is and,

23:32

um, the leather. Um,

23:34

Susannah. Um, it's. Yeah,

23:36

sort of a hybrid of the two.

23:39

Um, and so we can also explore that option.

23:42

It's a brown just, um, sort

23:44

of raising it with your instructor. Um, we can

23:46

bring out various ones and have

23:48

a look at sort of what might be right for you

23:51

and your dog.

23:53

So you mentioned before in the

23:55

kind of class pack or the client pack,

23:57

um, that some handles will use boots

23:59

for their dogs. Why might some handlers

24:02

use boots for the dogs and and I guess others

24:04

not.

24:06

It could be, um, really helpful

24:08

for some clients who are traveling

24:10

regularly in hot weather where the path

24:12

might be too hot to work the

24:14

dog if they weren't using boots. Um,

24:17

other situations where clients might use boots

24:19

are, um, in

24:22

areas where they might be asked

24:24

to walk and grass that have been added. Um,

24:26

and so it can protect from, um,

24:28

from them getting bindings within their pool.

24:31

Uh, and it can also help, um, sometimes

24:34

in cooler environments as well. Um,

24:36

where the dogs might have to sort of walk on

24:38

cold patches of ice and things depending

24:40

on the area that people live in. In

24:42

terms of boots, um, it's

24:45

very much handler choice. Some clients,

24:47

um, if they're not walking in the hot weather, the dogs

24:50

don't require the boot. Um,

24:52

the only thing to be aware of dog boots is that if

24:54

clients are using them, um, that

24:57

they constantly put them on them in the months

24:59

that aren't summer as well, because the dogs

25:01

are desensitized to them. Um,

25:03

but if we don't maintain that,

25:05

then and then we're only using them once a

25:08

year, then they get a, you

25:10

know, they're quite shocked by putting them on.

25:12

Um, once you do put them

25:14

on for the first.

25:15

Time, they, they get unused to them during,

25:18

during the winter months.

25:19

Yeah, exactly. And they're like, oh, I've done 11

25:21

months without these. What are these boots again?

25:24

So we do recommend that clients still

25:26

put them on during the month that, um, they

25:28

don't require them just to keep up that training.

25:30

And I suppose in that type of thing, it's just

25:32

kind of putting them on, having a bit of a party,

25:34

walking around a bit and then making it positive.

25:37

Exactly. Yeah. So it's, um,

25:39

it can be just doing their regular route in dog

25:41

boots so it doesn't have to be hot for them to wear them,

25:43

um, during the winter months. Um, and

25:46

it can just be, you know, doing, um,

25:48

doing a walk around the house as well. So,

25:51

yeah, it can be, um, whatever

25:53

sort of works for the client.

25:55

So another kind of piece of equipment that I

25:58

have heard asked about a little bit is, um, for

26:00

some of those travellers, some of those handlers

26:02

that are on the go and they are travelling,

26:04

would you recommend something like a travel

26:07

mat for a dog to lie on?

26:09

Yeah. So people are travelling regularly.

26:11

There are travel mats that fold up

26:13

pretty small. Um, some of them

26:16

also have sort of a handle that you can

26:18

put over a shoulder or put over luggage

26:21

and things like that, which make, um, pretty handy.

26:24

They can be, um, helpful when traveling

26:26

because it gives the dog a very set location

26:28

that you want them to lie. Um, and so

26:30

in new areas, um, it's

26:32

a known sort of behaviour that they

26:35

are aware of to do. So if you say bed,

26:37

you've, you know, found one, they can take themselves

26:40

off to it. You can also leave them there. And

26:42

often they feel pretty safe and secure on their

26:44

bed. Um, the other reason

26:46

you can use a travel mat, um, is

26:49

some people use them when on the planes instead

26:51

of the sort of absorbent mats that they

26:53

give you. Um, and it can mean

26:55

that they don't move around as much as well. So

26:58

various options that people can sort of explore.

27:01

Do you have any that you have kind of encountered

27:03

that you would recommend over others?

27:05

So they all sort.

27:06

Of serve the same purpose. So I think it's more just

27:08

looking at one that works for you. Um, some

27:11

roll up, some zip up. Um, I

27:13

think it's just around what type of travel you do

27:15

and where it's going to be the least inconvenience

27:18

in terms of space. Um, and

27:20

then if you do need things like a handle to ensure

27:23

that, you know, it can just go over your shoulder.

27:25

Um, just taking into consideration things,

27:28

um, that might make your life easier.

27:31

Are there any other pieces of equipment

27:33

to consider as a handler?

27:36

Um, in.

27:36

Terms of equipment, um, some

27:38

clients that, uh, regularly

27:40

travel at night time, I'd often recommend

27:43

looking into, um, putting a light

27:45

either on themselves, on their backpack,

27:48

or at least the dog, um, just to give

27:50

a little bit of visibility to the team.

27:52

Uh, that can sometimes clients

27:55

have a second collar

27:57

that they put on, the ones that sort of light up.

28:00

So that's also an option if, um.

28:02

Uh. If

28:04

lights on a backpack or on on other

28:06

parts of the dog's body aren't an option.

28:09

Um, equipment wise,

28:12

there's also, um, we do also have raincoats,

28:14

but some clients prefer getting something

28:16

a little bit warmer if they live in really cold

28:18

climates. Um, if the

28:20

dog's working, I wouldn't get something that's

28:23

too thick because you don't want them to sweat, so

28:25

you'd want to get something that's on the thinner end, um,

28:28

but still provides that protection.

28:30

But other than that, most of the equipment is provided

28:33

in, um, the equipment pack

28:35

that we initially issue. Um,

28:37

the big one would sort of probably be the visibility

28:40

side of things at nighttime.

28:42

And, and kind of I think based on,

28:44

on your recommendation, we've got an at coming

28:47

on the show talking about technology. So thank you for

28:49

your recommendation with that. That will be a good one.

28:51

Yeah. Anytime.

28:52

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show

28:54

and, uh, talking equipment with me.

28:56

No.

28:56

Anytime. Thank you for having me.

29:04

You've been listening to The Singh Auto Show on Virgin

29:06

Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interviews

29:09

with Shelley about her singer dog, Evan,

29:11

and with Brooke Anderson, senior dogs

29:13

instructor, about equipment that dog guide handlers

29:15

and single hook users can use. I

29:18

hope you enjoyed this episode. If you'd like to

29:20

find out more about seeing dogs, the work we do,

29:22

or how you can help, head to our website

29:24

at Sydney, Australia. Org

29:26

and don't forget to tune in at same

29:28

time next week for another episode

29:31

of the single Show on Virgin Australia Radio.