00:10 Harriet
On Vision Australia Radio, you're listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show - with me, your host, Harriet Moffat. I've got a big one today for International Women's Day. We've got two guests. I've got Mikaela Smith, senior dogs instructor, talking about New South Wales client services and the upcoming New South Wales and Act Roadshow. And then I'm going to be joined by seeing Eye Dogs handler Nicole Tillotson, talking about her life partnership with Trixie and what International Women's Day means to her. We've got some really lovely long interviews, so let's jump in. I hope you enjoy.
All right, Mikaela, thank you for joining me on the show.
00:51 Mikaela
Thank you for having me.
00:53 Harriet
Could you please start off by introducing yourself?
00:55 Mikaela
I am one of two Seeing Eye Dog instructors that are based in New South Wales. We are based on the Central Coast for about an hour north of Sydney, and we cover pretty much the entire state. So we go as far up as Tweed Heads, as far south as Canberra and out west to Dubbo. The only area we don't cover is down on the border. We have one of our awesome instructors in Victoria that covers around the Albury region.
01:24 Harriet
So what are the types of client services that you provide across New South Wales and ACT?
01:31 Mikaela
Yeah, so we support clients at all stages of their journey through senior mobility. So right from the initial enquiries for people who are just wanting to find out more about senior dog mobility and whether it might be right for them. So we'll talk them through that process. We also complete the assessments or initial applications for a seeing eye dog. We also do the training with the dogs and provide ongoing support throughout the life of the dog and through to retirement as well.
02:00 Harriet
The class or the client training do you travel to the client's location, or do they have to be based in a particular region?
02:09 Mikaela
Yeah, that's correct. We... do travel. So... anyone from anywhere in New South Wales can apply for a seeing eye dog. There's no limitation based on geographic location. When you do train with a dog, there's a couple of options that seeing eye dogs offer for how that training takes place. One of those options is that you do train from home, so if you're in New South Wales, then one of the two instructors, myself or my colleague will come out and we spend anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks with you doing that initial training program. We generally see you every weekday for about two sessions a day.
Obviously it depends on your individual needs and your dog's needs as well, but that'll be a 2 to 4 week training program for that initial training with the dog. The other option that we do provide is we have some residents down in Kensington, Victoria, which is where the Seeing Eye Dogs HQ is. So there is an option for interstate clients, such as those in New South Wales, or even in any of the other states or territories around the country to go and do the initial training in Melbourne. So you stay at the houses, you have the dogs stay with you for the first two weeks in that location, and you train with some of our instructors down there.
And then after the two weeks, you'll fly back to your home. And if you're in New South Wales again, one of the New South Wales instructors will meet you at your home. And we do what's called a post class. So we continue the training that you've learned in Melbourne, but we tailor that to your individual location, your area, your routes and your routines as well.
03:39 Harriet
I mean, it sounds like a quite busy time either option. And is that just a personal choice of the... handler?
03:46 Mikaela
Yeah, 100%. The reason that we've got the two options is because we want you to do what's going to work best for you. There's definitely benefits and sort of downsides to both, but it's so individual. Some people need to stay at home. They might have young children or a routine that they can't go to Melbourne for two weeks, which is absolutely fine. But we've got lots of clients as well who really like to take the time to just really focus on that initial training with the dog, so it really benefits them to go to Melbourne.
But yeah, we are happy to provide support and talk you through the different options and what might suit you best. But at the end of the day, it's completely up to the client which option is going to suit suit them at the time.
04:25 Harriet
And when it comes to then having, you know, graduated and being that independent team, what are the follow-ups that happen after that?
04:33 Mikaela
The great thing is there's no limit to how much follow-up support you can get from seeing our instructors. If you feel like you need to do additional training, if you want to learn additional routes, and seeing our dogs were organised for an instructor to come out and see you when you first finished training, we do get in contact quite a lot - so we'll do a bit of phone support. If you need someone to come out and visit and just do a face-to-face follow-up, then we'll do that as well. So we tend to do that at the about... sorry, about a week after training finishes and then about a month in New South Wales... we like to see clients every six months as a general rule, just to check in how everything's going.
But every 12 months is fine as well. Some clients prefer that yearly follow up, but we do make sure that we see clients every 12 months just to make sure everything's going well. There's no bad habits forming, and also to make sure the dogs are in a good welfare. Good emotional state as well.
05:25 Harriet
So it actually sounds like you guys get quite a lot of support or you give a lot of support, I guess. And so in terms of like what the client needs, you guys can kind of work on those particular skills. And so when you then get to that stage where you're starting to think about the dog getting older, is the process kind of quite similar or, you know, in terms of you guys just kind of work through that process of the dog starting to transition or working out what's the best, what's the next step?
05:52 Mikaela
Yeah, absolutely. And that's something that's so individual as well. Generally we say that our dogs usually retire between 8 and 10 years of age, but we definitely have dogs that retire younger... that could be because they're no longer suiting the needs of the client behaviorally in terms of their work. It could be a medical issue that pops up, and we definitely also got dogs that work much longer. So we have dogs that retire when they're 11, 12, 13 years of age. So it really just depends on the dog and the client.
And as long as the dog's still meeting the needs of the client, keeping the client safe and the dog's health and welfare is still, um, 100%, then yeah, retirement is something we'll have a conversation with, particularly when the dog is getting a little bit older than each follow up. We tend to have that conversation, see how things are going. If the instructor is noticing that the dog is no longer meeting the needs of the client. So maybe they're making a lot of errors and the safety component isn't quite there, then we'll definitely have that conversation about whether we start looking at retiring the dog, or maybe start the process of applying for a replacement dog.
In saying that, in my experience, most of the time the client is actually very aware of these issues when we go out to see them. So they'll be bringing up are my dogs, you know, no longer walking as fast as I need them to. And that's really common with age as well. The other thing, of course, is a medical retirement. So it might be actually a vet that brings up a concern with Labradors and golden retrievers. Arthritis is quite a common condition as they get older, so it might be that the vet is noticing the arthritis and the dog is maybe not walking so fast because they're in a bit of pain, or they just physically can't keep up to the client's needs anymore.
But we do provide a lot of support through that retirement. It's a really hard time for a lot of our clients. Obviously, the dog has become a part of their family. There's also a lot of options on what that dog will do once they retire. So the very first option is the client can adopt the dog and it becomes a pet dog for them, and they can absolutely go on and get a new seeing eye dog and keep their retired dog as a pet. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. If they're unable to keep the dog once it retires, and sometimes they've got family or friends or neighbours or work colleagues that might want to adopt the dog, so that's great as well.
If that's not suitable, then the puppy carer of the dog will get offered the dog for adoption. I had a great story of that that happened last year actually, where the puppy carers adopted a 13 year old dog who'd retired, so they hadn't seen that dog for 12 years. Wow. And he's now living with them, which is very cute, very full circle. And if that's not an option as well, then we have public adoption, which is what we do with a lot of our career change dogs. And we've got a wonderful dog adoptions team that will look through all of the applications and make sure we find an awesome, really suitable home for that dog to support it through its end of life.
08:52 Harriet
So it's a really kind of full circle, I guess, journey that you guys work with, with any handlers. And so I want to circle back to the very beginning where you're talking about eligibility to some degree and like assessment. So there's the New South Wales and ACT Roadshow coming up. If you want to sum up what some of the things that some of the criteria for eligibility or why someone might start to consider a seeing eye dog.
09:16 Mikaela
So there's a lot of ways that people can find out about seeing eye dogs. Sometimes it might be through friends or family. It might be through advertising, it might be through their eye specialist as well. So that's something that anyone's been thinking about... again, yeah. If you're in New South Wales or the ACT, we do have the Roadshow coming up in March where you can come along and find out a lot more about, um, the application process about a seeing eye dog. We'll also have dogs there that you can take for a trial walk.
So to actually experience what it feels like to work with a seeing eye dog because that's... yeah, such a unique feeling and something that can't really be described. It's really great to have that experience. But yeah, in terms of eligibility, there are a few different criteria. Some of the ones that are really important. First of all, that you are capable of looking after a dog. So our dogs are labradors, golden retrievers or a cross. So they're generally around 30 kilos. They require care, you know, living breathing beings. So you've got to feed them twice a day. You've got to toilet them, pick up after them, take them out for walks.
One of the big differences between a seeing eye dog and a long cane is that when you're finished with your long cane, you can just fold it up and pop it in your bag and forget about it. With a dog for the next eight years, you absolutely can't do that. They're with you all the time and they need that constant care and support. So that's one criteria. Also making sure that you've got a sufficient workload for a dog.
So our dogs are about 18 months of age when they are first placed with the client. So they're young. They're enthusiastic. They want to get out and go for walks. They love the work that they do, so they need to go to clients that have a sufficient workload that do get out of the house most days of the week. That's really important for our dogs, of course. The spectrum. Um, some of our dogs prefer a less of a workload, but generally speaking, you want to be getting out 3 to 4 times a week. But we'll look at that on a on a case-by-case basis.
11:17 Harriet
So I guess all of these things are something that you could discuss with... anyone who has questions at the Roadshow.
11:24 Mikaela
So coming to the Roadshow doesn't mean that you're signing up for a dog at all. It's just to talk a little bit and get that process started. Answer any questions that you might have. But yes, we have plenty of time to go through all of this in much more detail and to answer any specific questions as well. The other thing I'll say to anyone who's not able to come to the roadshow or who isn't in the area, and you have questions, maybe you're not sure about applying and you want to talk it through with an instructor.
It's getting contact with seeing eye dogs. So instructors are very happy to have that conversation with you. Figure out sort of whether you might meet our criteria or not, or whether it's something for you now or in the future. There's absolutely no pressure. Just give us a call and we're very happy to have that chat.
12:07 Harriet
So is the New South Wales and ACT Roadshow open to all handlers or potential handlers?
12:14 Mikaela
So anyone who's interested in finding out more is more than welcome to attend. You could be a current dog guide handler. It could be something that you see in your near or your far future. You might be a support worker, or a family or friend, or someone who's looking at getting a seeing eye dog... please come along. We'd love to just have that conversation with you. And again, for any clients that want to experience what it feels like to actually walk a seeing eye dog and have that experience walk, that will be an opportunity at all of our roadshow locations as well. So we'd love to meet you and have you along.
But anyone interested in attending, it's up on the Seeing Eye Dogs website. So if you look up Seeing Eye Dogs New South Wales Roadshow, that information will come up. But all of the sessions run from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the dates are Monday the 10th of March at Port Macquarie. Tuesday the 11th of March in Coffs Harbour. Wednesday the 12th of March in Tweed Heads. Tuesday the 18th of March in Canberra. Wednesday the 19th of March in Wollongong. Monday the 24th of March in Gosford. And Tuesday the 25th of March in Newcastle.
And if anyone is interested in attending and they'd like to register, you can do so by emailing Clients at Vision Australia dot org - or if you pop into your local office, they'll be able to organise that registration for you as well.
13:41 Harriet
You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show on Vision Australia Radio, don't forget to head to that Seeing Eye Dogs [?Idg's] website at speedvision.org. For more information about the New South Wales Act Roadshow.
And now I've got part two of this episode, and that is my interview around International Women's Day and a Seeing Eye Dog partnership profile story on Nicole Tillotson and her seeing eye dog, Trixie. So we're going to talk about their life and their partnership together. Thank you for listening and hope you enjoy. Hi, Nicole. Thank you for joining me today.
14:11 Nicole
Hey, how are you, Harriet?
14:13 Harriet
Good. How are you?
14:15 Nicole
Well, thanks.
14:16 Harriet
Could you please start off by introducing yourself?
14:19 Nicole
My name is Nicole and I'm based in Sydney. I live in a two dog, one human household, so the odds are stacked against me.
14:28 Harriet
For a mutiny.
14:30 Nicole
Yeah. And I'm currently working full time. I work as a chaplain in a hospital or multiple hospitals. And when I'm not doing that, I love doing Pilates, running with Achilles, or doing a Park Run.
14:47 Harriet
It's all very active stuff when you're not working. Could you please introduce your seeing eye dog and tell us also how long you've been working together?
14:55 Nicole
Yeah. So my seeing eye dog's name is Trixie, but she was previously known as Vixen. The name didn't sort of resonate with me, so I didn't. I just didn't want to have conversations every day about that. And you have lots of conversations every day on repeat about what your dog's name is and all that sort of stuff. And so I changed it to Trixie, which means joyful or bringer of joy. Oh, I think that's it's really perfectly. And she's named after a character on Call the Midwife as well.
15:24 Harriet
Which is perfect for someone that works in hospital.
15:27 Nicole
Yeah, yeah, we have been together nearly one and a half years and she will be three on March 23rd.
15:37 Harriet
So what made you decide to apply for a dog guide?
15:40 Nicole
I think it's just my preferred mode of mobility aid, I guess my preferred mobility aid. Um, I love the independence and confidence that it brings. I feel for me that. So I do have a little bit of vision, so I'm legally blind... probably have about 10% vision, I think. So for me, a cane finds all the obstacles, it finds all the things that are challenging and kind of makes like, reinforces that into your brain, almost. Right, that there are dangers out there, whereas tricks. She just takes care of that. Like she doesn't find the obstacle, she just works around it. And sometimes, you know, it's there and sometimes you don't. But like, I implicitly trust her. So that's not a problem at all.
16:26 Harriet
So how would you say that your life has changed since being partnered with Trixie?
16:31 Nicole
It's just exponentially better. She's my second dog guide that I've had. We call a version 2.0 because she's just so amazing. She's like the most epic upgrade the things that she can do. I was so surprised when I was training in Melbourne with her, the things that she knows and has capacity to do and her intuition, like her preemptive sort of intuition kind of thing, is just incredible. She... knows my needs before I need them, a bit... like I cruise a lot and so on. Cruise lines, they're like, we know your needs before you know, before you can express them. That's what she is. She... gets me. Yeah.
17:08 Harriet
She's a cruiser.
17:09 Nicole
She. Well, yeah. We can come back to that. She sure is.
17:13 Harriet
So I don't know if that would potentially kind of lead into my next question, which was what are your favorite things about her?
17:19 Nicole
Her love of coffee is one of the things. I don't know what it is, but this this girl knows all the places in Melbourne that have good coffee. And when I was training, she would... if it was not a great one, she wouldn't necessarily stop there. But if there was a good one, she'd like stop and like, nudge me like, do you want to go get a coffee? Not today. Okay. Not today. And by not today, I mean more like not this hour. But I love the Not today phrase, but later. Yeah.
So an example of one of the things I love about her is that we were going to Melbourne for graduation. We went through security and we walked down the steps and I was like, Okay, I need to just like stop for a second out of the road to work out what gate I'm going to, how I'm going to get there, all that sort of stuff. And she's like, Mum, it's 10 a.m., I got you. You haven't had a coffee. Follow me. And so she took me straight to the cafe, to the ordering point no less, where there was no one there. There was someone making coffees further down, but she took me straight to like, This is where we need to go. I'm like, dude, you get me.
18:31 Harriet
Not wrong. Yeah.
18:33 Nicole
It was like she was saying, This will just go better for all parties concerned. If you tell me.
18:38 Harriet
You're a better handler to me if you're caffeinated.
18:41 Nicole
Decaffeinated, probably yes.
18:43 Harriet
It's kind of phenomenal as well. When they picked up on something like that, I mean, when it's like the pet store, then it's maybe slightly less ideal for you, but better for them.
18:50 Nicole
Yeah, yeah. Oh, don't get me wrong, this one time we went to K-mart just before graduation, I was picking up some presents for the puppy raisers. They were like these photo mugs that change. So you see the image. Anyway, we got to K-mart. Didn't know where I was picking them up from. And as I've asked the person where I go to get them as soon as she said like finished explaining, she's like, thank you. And Trixie's gone off like a shot. And I'm like, I don't think this is the way she's saying, buddy. And she took me straight to the kids toys, toy area.
19:24 Harriet
Oh, did she, stuffed toys?
19:27 Nicole
Which is one of the things I love about her. Her love of stuffed toys is my other dog. I've never had a dog that loves stuffed toys in at all, and she is besotted with stuffed toys like her. Happy place is like always having something in her mouth. And if she doesn't have a toy, then her lead is the substitute, basically.
19:46 Harriet
I see, so she's a baby at heart. Really?
19:48 Nicole
She really, she's the sweetest girl.
19:52 Harriet
So what is a kind of typical day in your life, together?
19:56 Nicole
We change jobs. When we first started working together, I was working in residential aged care... and I loved that job. But it was quite hard for Trixie because people, a lot of the residents had cognitive issues that meant they couldn't remember not to pat her, so she wasn't working enough in the end, because she would end up just loosely walking around. And I noticed how much happier she was. She just loves to work, this girl, you know? So she was... a bit bored. So now we get to walk to work, which is great. So we're about a 20 minute walk each direction. Yeah, we... do a full day, which involves walking to... there's multiple hospitals on the campus that I work at and I go to, we go to multiple wards and basically she guides me to the ward.
But pretty much from the moment I enter the ward, I take off her harness and she just loose... leash walks at that point because she does a bit of... originally I was calling it a side hustle, but given she doesn't get any money out of it, it's more like volunteer work as a supplementary pet therapy dog. There are specific pet therapy dogs on our campus, but yeah, she just does a little bit of that on the side.
21:06 Harriet
And how does she go kind of flipping between work and then her volunteer role as a therapy dog?
21:13 Nicole
Yeah. Look, pretty seamless. She... knows when she's in her uniform - that's what I call her harness at work. So she's pretty good. What can happen, though, is if she sees someone she loves, which is typically a staff member that she's had a lot of engagement with. If, for example, we're in a lift and she sees them and she's working, she might give them a sneaky little lick, particularly on their feet or the back of their knee, which is guaranteed to make them hit the roof. But yeah, so she definitely gets it.
And she gets as well the different wards. It's almost like she has an emotional intelligence, like an EQ kind of thing, where she can read the room so she realises the difference of different wards and how active or energetic or goofy she can be, if that makes sense. So she realises, for example, when we're in the intensive care unit, that she needs to be very controlled in that space, but she also can bring a ward round to an absolute standstill with the consultants and all the doctors on the floor giving her belly rubs.
And then like a nurse being like, who's had a fall, no one's had a fall. Trixie's here. Oh, Trixie's here. And, you know, I sort of see it as healthcare settings are really stressful, as is working in aged care. And so if Trixie can give a little bit of sunshine and positive engagement to the staff, then the flow-on effect is not just there for them, but also for the patients and and others around when, because it just helps them to decompress a little bit. Yeah.
22:43 Harriet
But it's not all work and no play. So what travels have you been on together so far?
22:49 Nicole
We've done a few different things. I am a huge fan of cruising. I find cruising is really relaxing and she's a wonderful cruiser, so we have done two cruises since I got her. She's a champ. I think she's a little confused. Not in a like a stressful way, but in a like, I don't quite understand what this thing is that's moving on water... a bit like a train, but has restaurants and stuff. But she loves it. She. She just struts her stuff like she owns the place. The last one we were on, she made great buddies with the captain's two year old daughter. Oh, so that was a little bit sweet. Nice. Yeah, she's she's great. And she's really efficient at the toileting areas and things like that.
So the first cruise we went on, we didn't even end up getting off. It was with my brother and we just were hanging out having fun. So it was too hot in Queensland at the time. And the most recent one, we went back to Melbourne, but unfortunately she didn't get to see her boyfriend. I know I feel really bad, but it was just a bit of a tight schedule. So yeah.
23:58 Harriet
She guiding you around the ship, but then and then just had some harness-off time while you sit by a sunbed.
24:05 Nicole
I call it a working holiday. A cruise is a working holiday for Trixie because it's a change of scenery and it is fun, but they are very long days, so the rules are that they can't be left alone in a state room or unattended and they can't go by the pool. But then when you're in the cabin, she can decompress and be off-harness and stuff. The second cruise we went on, my brother, who also has a seeing eye dog, was there, and so they were able to play tug and things like that, which is just good for them to let off steam.
24:36 Hariet
And do they get on well?
24:38 Nicole
Oh my gosh. Yes. Yes. She and her cousin get along famously. And the first time my brother left, his dog's name is Walt... or was Yoshi. But the first time he left him was with me, so I actually had three dogs...
24:56 Harriet
Oh, my gosh.
24:57 Nicole
... From 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. at night. It was like a three ring circus. It was like Whack-a-Mole. So like, you'd have a I was like, lying down at one point and then one, two, three would all pop up and be like, Oh, are we are we going to play? What are we doing? And I'm like, No, I'm still reading my Kindle. I just turned over, like, calm your farm.
25:17 Harriet
Just one slight shuffle and they all domino effect. But like instead of falling down, they get up pretty much.
25:22 Nicole
Yeah. So yeah. No, they they get along famously. Lots of good fun and play both play or wrestle at a similar level of Yeah. And that's just really nice for them to be able to do that.
25:34 Harriet
So it is coming up to International Women's Day. Could you tell me a bit about, you know, what inclusion and International Women's Day means to you?
25:42 Nicole
Yeah, I think International Women's Day to me is a chance to reflect on history and the gains that have been made and the work that's left to be done, and to be thankful for what has happened and the people that were involved in making that happen, and a chance to celebrate the achievements of women, I guess, in a variety of different areas - whether it's academic, sporting, community, family, whatever it might be.
26:05 Harriet
And are there any kind of challenges that you have faced, or you face, specific to being a woman with a disability?
26:11 Nicole
Yeah, that's a really great question, actually. So one of the reasons why I prefer using a seeing eye dog to a cane is actually, I don't feel terribly safe living in Sydney overnight in the dark with a cane. I can feel a bit like a walking target. And so with Trixie, like she's not trained to be my guard dog, but I just feel like if someone ever tried anything, she would... tell them off very quickly in such a way that would probably shock them, because her bark shocks me when it happens, because it's so rare and big, and so I just feel really confident and get to get out and about more in the evenings in a way that I wouldn't with a cane.
Yeah. Or if I did, I would be very stressed and uncomfortable. That's definitely the primary way I think that she's helpful there. Yeah.
27:06 Harriet
And do you have any messages for any women who are blind or have low vision around Women's Day?
27:13 Nicole
Perhaps not so much around International Women's Day, but more generally just to encourage them to do the best they can do within whatever limitations they might have. Like as in, give it a go, I guess is kind of where I'm coming from - in that you don't know until you try something like, I didn't know I could do a bunch of sport-related, like exercise-related things until I did it. We're typically capable of more than we might think we are. And like, I've had my vision impairment all my life, so I don't know any different.
But perhaps as well, for people who've acquired vision loss, they might not realise how much they are now, like they might underestimate as well how much they actually can do. So basically give it a go and just do your best and see see where it lands. You take... a healthy risk. You know, I was part of Achilles group that did a 50 kilometre endurance event called Coast Trek in 2050. Yeah, 50km in... and we... like I literally deep in my heart did not know if I was going to be able to pull that off until the moment I crossed the line. Like, that was just such an epic challenge. That was what I was thinking of when you were, yeah, asking that question is that until I tried that, I would never have thought that I could have done that.
28:31 Harriet
Yeah.
28:32 Nicole
The fact that you gave it a try and you just are determined. You got to know when to, as my mom would say, you got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. But yeah, as long as they're appropriate risks and pushing, it's really healthy and good.
28:46 Harriet
Yeah, 50km might not be for everyone, but going on A5K with your... you know...
28:53 Nicole
Achilles, those are really wonderful things.
28:56 Harriet
And just to finish off, do you have any other messages for, you know, general public volunteers or supporters of seeing eye dogs?
29:03 Nicole
I'm just so grateful to the people who raised Trix as a pup, to make her the pup she is today. Well, the dog she is today. She's just very sweet. One of my main nicknames for her is Sweetheart or Honey, because she is just very sweet. And apparently she's the colour of honey, so that's fun. So yeah, massive thanks to them and to like the trainers and the instructors for teaching her not just how to find coffee, but all the wonderful skills she has. Yeah. Like, seat finding is not just a skill, it's a hobby for her as well. She loves finding. That's why coffee shops are great. She loves finding the door, the counter, the seat.
29:51 Harriet
It's all of the targets that you could ever want.
29:53 Nicole
All the things. Times two. Yeah.
29:56 Harriet
Amazing.
29:57 Nicole
Yeah, yeah. And I think just... I found it really helpful just making enquiries. When I made an enquiries, I was able to ask a lot of questions and find out that this would be worth exploring. So I guess if someone's not sure if a seeing eye dog is... a good mobility aid for them, and there's so much more than a mobility aid. But if if they're curious, I would encourage them to just ask questions and make inquiries and check it out... because yeah, she's so much more than my mobility aid.
30:34 Harriet
Well, thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing your story.
30:38 Nicole
No worries. Lovely to be here.
30:46 Harriet
You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show on Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interviews with Nicole Tillotson, seeing eye dog handler to Trixie... and Mikaela Smith, Seeing Eye Dogs instructor based in New South Wales, talking about the New South Wales Act Roadshow and New South Wales client services.
If you'd like to find out more about Seeing Eye Dogs, the work we do, becoming a handler or getting involved, head to our website at SED dot Vision Australia dot org. Thank you for listening and tune in, same time next week for another episode of our show on Vision Australia Radio.
