00:10 S1
On Vision Australia Radio, you're listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show - with me, your host, Harriet Moffat. On this episode, I'm going to be joined by Seeing Eye Dogs handler Lucia Corradi - to talk about her new partnership with seeing eye dog Luna and their adventures, both those already accomplished and some that are planned. This active duo are set to take on Trek for Vision in 2025, so we're going to talk a bit about their prep for that. Then I'm joined by Seeing Eye Dogs' Advisor of Strategy and Change, Paul Adrian talking to us about some myths about becoming a seeing eye dogs handler, the New South Wales Roadshow event and an update on some client services in New South Wales. So we've got lots on in these interviews.
So now here is my first interview with Lucia. Lucia, thank you for joining me on the show today.
01:05 S2
Hi, Harriet.
01:07 S1
Just to start off, could you please introduce yourself?
01:10 S2
Yeah, my name is Lucia. I am 57 and a remedial massage therapist, and I have a... married and have a 24 year old daughter, nearly 25. And. Yes. And... have... on my second dog.
01:29 S1
So could you tell us a little bit about your current seeing eye dog?
01:33 S2
Yeah. Her name is Luna. We actually ended up changing her name because it was Louise. And... we have a... family member called Louise, so I thought, I can't have a dog called Louise. So lucky I was able to change it. So her name is Luna. She'll be two in December. She's a black lab, which is different from my first one. She was a golden lab. Yeah. She's a great worker. Great worker. Unharnessed, she just wants to work off harness. She's just a silly puppy still. But I love that about her. She's just so, so much fun, so much energy. But great, great worker. Just wants to walk, get you to places, jumps into that harness. Unbelievable compared to my other dog.
02:17 S1
Would you say your other dog was slightly less motivated?
02:21 S2
Oh, I don't think motivated. She's just a different personality, a bit more sedate... more sensitive. And yeah, so she was a... fast walker as well, because I do like a fast walker. They've both been fast walkers, but, yeah, she's just a little bit more reserved than Luna. Maybe she's, we've called it like, she's a bit like an Old Soul.
02:44 S1
It's probably quite nice because you've got two dogs that are very, very different. You don't have to compare them, I guess.
02:49 S2
That's right. I was a bit worried about getting a black lab because... for covering at work is like charcoal, but I have a bell on, so that's okay. So I can hear it coming than that, yeah. And on the grass I have a little bit of trouble, but yes, it's good that they're... two different colors too, because yeah, I don't get them mixed up as well, but they are different personalities but similar in some ways as well. Yeah.
03:16 S1
And could you tell us a little bit about your previous dog, and have you got her in her... retirement, what's that...?
03:21 S2
Yes I do. I don't know where she is. She's wandering around somewhere. Yep. I bet she's ten and a half. Her name is Aura. So I had her for eight and a half years. She is retired and living with us as a retired, just normal dog. And she settled into that role so easily. She is not as attentive, not as obedient. She's a bit of a rogue sometimes, like doing things that I thought she never used to do that before. Like wandered out the gate and went down into the cul de sac the other day. And I'm like, What? Why? I know, and when I call her, she's like, No, I'm not coming, you know?
So yes, she's just settled into retirement very well. I think. But she's still very fit and healthy, which was good, but I just, she wasn't sort of paying as much attention, when we were walking crossing roads, she was too busy sniffing or looking at other dogs, and her anxiety had gone up a few levels, like she's probably always had a little bit of anxiety. But, yeah, I think her anxiety has gotten worse with age, so I thought it'd be best to get a new one for safety reasons especially. Yeah.
04:31 S1
So probably she gave you lots of, you know, really good years, but kind of starting to... let you let you know quite quickly, she was like, actually, you know, now it's... yeah, to be a menace sounds...
04:43 S2
Yeah. I was sort of in two minds like retiring her because she... has been a great dog and because she stays so healthy still. But it was the intent, you know, paying attention and... like just watching the traffic and, you know, too busy looking at people and... but you know, and I was really hesitant about getting a new dog because it's so, you're so used to one and putting your trust in that one, then all of a sudden you've got to change over to this... well, total stranger, you know, like so it took me a little while to go, Oh, I've got to trust Luna now. And her weight's a little bit less. So I didn't couldn't feel her holding me to the to one side or the other. I had to get used to that because it was a little bit of a heavier dog. Put in a nice term.
05:27 S1
She's I mean, even if you said, you know, Aura is quite fit and healthy, Luna is actually actively a quite small dog. Like, she's quite fine.
05:35 S2
Or is that more of a chunkier dog where we call we call Luna our AFL player, and Aura, our NRL player. But yeah, Luna is just a really tiny, like, she just curls up like in my feet in the car when I hop in and she's just that little bit... yeah, smaller. So her weight was... like feeling her pulling me, getting me out of the way of things, I had to get used to that. So, yeah, it takes a little while of changing dogs. You're a little bit like, Oh, gee, I've got to trust that one now.
06:07 S1
And what do you like about Luna? And, you know, do you have any ideas as to why you think you might have been matched? I guess you've got to know her a bit better.
06:16 S2
Yeah, I think because... talking to the dog trainer, Michaela, what I was really into, I wanted one that could just walk, put the harness on, and off we go. Let's go to walk, work fast... and really keen to work. And that's what Aura was like at the beginning, too. And I like doing, you know, lots of walking on the weekends, and I do charity walks and things like that. So I wanted one that was really keen and eager and fit and just ready to go. So I think that's why. And I'm not very tall either, so I'm glad I didn't get matched with a big dog. But, yeah, I think just because she's, she's got a toy now, I think that yeah, she, we just, because we're both fast walkers and I wanted, you know, one that would just walk. Yeah. And put the harness on and off we go. So I think that's why we were matched. Yeah.
07:08 S1
So what exciting adventures have you gotten up to so far?
07:13 S2
Well, we have done, just completed the Seven Bridge Walk in Sydney, but we only, did only get to six bridges because that was 17.5km when we got to that point, and it was 1:00 and the Hunter's Hill pub turned up and we go, Okay, let's have lunch. And so, but she walked like a trooper. She could have kept going. She was amazing. And I was walking with a group of friends and they're all going, Can you slow down a bit? I said, It's not me, it's Lu. Yeah. So, yeah. And so we're also doing... the New Zealand trek in April next year for Vision Australia to raise money for them. So really keen and eager to do that. Have never done a hike before. So this is good training, something to work towards and train.
And I think after doing the seven bridge walk I thought, Oh, she'll cope with it easy. You know, it's it's probably 10 to 15km a day. And she did that easy. And that's having breaks. So and she's just keen. So I thought, yeah. And I needed a challenge. So it's great. And it's raising money for Vision Australia. So it's ticked all the boxes and yeah. So we're going to learn how to kayak as well in the... boat. In the kayak. Yes. So we're keen to have a try of that. I just think she's just, so has no anxiety like Aura had. So she's just, nothing fazes her. Yeah. She's just like, let's do whatever, you know, nothing. I can drop something and it doesn't worry her.
Aura will jump a little bit, like the robot vacuum cleaner will go underneath her instead of I'm going, Will you move, so it knows. So now there's patches around my house where it's mapped, where she is, and my daughter has to keep remapping it for me. Yeah. So just seeing her personality. And I thought, Oh, this is great, I'm going to start doing more of the things I used to do because I used to be quite the active person to running and marathon. Not so much marathons, but runs and things. So yeah, it'd be great that she's been able to, you know, give me that drive to do different challenges.
09:15 S1
Now also, I mean already kind of starting with this, the Seven Bridges walk and you found your stamina quite good. What made you decide to take part in that one, or and did you have any concerns when you first started it?
09:28 S2
Yeah, no, because we had started doing some training for Seven Bridges Walk. So we would, we were doing a track that we've got here, which is about ten kilometres, and she was so great on that. And I thought, no, I didn't hesitate when we started the Seven Bridges Walk at all.
09:43 S1
And was the Seven Bridges one also a charity?
09:47 S2
Yes, that walk for Cancer Council. So I'm going to start that because I just lost my dad in June from cancer. So I thought I wanted to, you know, do something for that. So that was how all my friends helped and joined. And so that was really good. Yeah.
10:02 S1
Well, I'm sorry to hear about your dad, but I it it's a really wonderful legacy for you guys to be able to be. Yeah.
10:07 S2
Yeah. So I wanted to do something to, you know, memory of him. And he was he was a real sporty, fit person. And I think that's where I've gotten it from. So. And he loved Luna. He at last, he always wanted me to get a black lab instead of a gold lab. So when I got her, he was so excited. And it was actually one of his last words. He said in hospital. I said, Dad, I've got Luna. And he went, Oh, Luna! with his Italian accent and put his hand up. And I gave him a carrot to give to her. Yeah. So that was really sweet. So I thought, yeah... yeah. Brought a lot of joy to everybody in the family. She came at a good time, actually. We all needed a bit of cheering up with her silly silliness.
10:47 S1
Oh, well, I'm glad that he got to meet her. It's quite, yeah, that's really nice.
10:51 S2
It was good. It was really good. Yeah. So, yeah, so probably might do the... I've done the City to Surf, I think 2 or 3 times now. Once for seeing eye dogs like fundraising and another time for another charity. So now that I've got her, I might... even do that next year again.
11:09 S1
So I mean, it's it's amazing now that you've kind of got this... dog who is finishing 7, 17 and saying, Don't stop, don't go to the... oh, I know, don't have lunch. Keep going.
11:22 S2
No. She had a little sleep under the table and then we had to get in the car and drive back because it's an hour and a half drive back. My girlfriend and I got out of the car and went, Oh, we can hardly move. And she jumped out going, Oh, okay, what have we got? Alright. Because I, you know, came in to see her in the house and went Let's play. We're like, Where does she get her energy from? She's got has no Off button sometimes. And my husband said at night she's like, you're going, Okay, can we play? And he's going, No, it's... quiet. Yeah. So she's, yeah, I think that's now she's given me like, Oh great, I can do all these things again now. Yeah.
11:57 S1
It kind of sounds like she's the type of dog that you think, If I could just, like, harness just a little bit of that for me. Like, if you could share it and that would be quite nice, I think.
12:05 S2
Oh, yeah. And I think, like I was saying to someone at work the other day, she's like that... person you meet who just loves life and is always happy and just... that's what she reminds me of. If she was a human, she'd be just happy all the time. Love life. Let's, yeah, I'll do that. I'll do this. And that's what she reminds me of when she was a human, you know? So it's great.
12:27 S1
So the Trek for Vision, when is that happening? And, you know, are you ready for kind of your, you know, starting preparations yet?
12:35 S2
Yeah. We're just starting. So it's it starts on the 29th of April and goes till the 3rd of May, and it's at... North no, South Island, New Zealand. The Abel Tasman. So we are flying there are a couple of days before and... so we're just going actually tomorrow to get hiking boots. So to start breaking them in because... the organisers have been great and given us a like a program. So start doing this and then add this in and... even try and go somewhere overnight. So getting up next day, doing another trek again the next day as it gets closer. And so yeah, and we're on a group WhatsApp chat. So there's some that have done some hiking and running before and all, you know, giving everybody else advice. So that's really good.
So yeah, we'll slowly start... and then when we had a look that, you know, the biggest day I think is a 10 or 12 kilometre day, and we did 17.5 because my friend who came with me on that coming as well, and she went, Oh, we can we can smash it, let's join, let's do it. And Luna will be fine. So yeah, I think we're slowly now we've just got to start incorporating.. the distance will be fine with, but it's the hills, so we'll have to start incorporating some more hilly tracks and that, and maybe I don't think this year they're doing as much... like really rugged terrain. So that's probably a good thing. They, I think this year they found out it was a little bit too difficult. So we'll do a little bit of hiking, bush hiking, but we don't have to do it as hard as when we watch the video. This year we went, Oh, glad we didn't go this year.
14:16 S1
Oh, scary.
14:17 S2
Oh, it did look scary. Some of it was so vertically up and up and up. And then I watched them. They didn't get back till dark. And I'm going, oh my God. But they said No, they're changing it a bit. The dog trainer and I are going to start doing some of that and some kayaking training as well, and some bush walking as well. So lucky. We live in the Highlands here where it's quite hilly, so there is lots of bushwalking tracks around here. Mm.
14:42 S1
How exciting. I mean, you know, it sounds like it'll be a really life changing and fun kind of trek to be part of. And I... guess for you with this, you know, with your new partnership, that would be a quite great motivator, for Trek for Vision.
14:56 S2
Yes, I think so too. I I'm so looking forward to it. I just sort of thought I needed a goal and something different to do. So yeah, when we saw that and it was like raising money as well. So we thought, Yeah, this is this is the right thing to do. So yeah, it'd be good.
15:14 S1
If I know anything about fundraising. I think the minute that there's a nice smiling face like yours and a puppy, you know, Luna being a puppy.
15:22 S2
Oh yeah, that's right. We did take a really good photo at work the other day. Me down next to her and just cuddling each other, and it turned out great. And we thought that'll, hopefully will melt everybody's heart.
15:34 S1
And maybe you could do a birthday fundraiser for her. Did you say her second birthday is coming up?
15:38 S2
Yes. I didn't think of that. Could do that in December. Yeah, a birthday.
15:42 S1
A birthday party with, yeah...
15:45 S2
Yeah, well, we had a meeting at work the other day and they're going now. How can we increase our revenue? And everyone said we should charge $5 for pets for Luna, because everybody where I work and everybody comes in goes, Oh, can we offer.
15:59 S1
A very long time ago?
S2
This is... a number of years ago. We had... fundraising jackets for the dogs. It was not working once, but there was a pay pass... oh, tap, tap and go thing on the dog's jacket. Oh, how cool is that? Don't have them anymore.
16:15 S1
I don't think so. But maybe we need to dig them out. Maybe we should start that again.
16:20 S2
Yeah, that might be much easier for me because I'm the only one in town with a guide dog. Seeing eye dog. So everybody knows me in town, and we're only 6000 population here. And plus I work in a medical practice where I do my massage. So that's more people who come in there and see her and see her on Facebook. And, and when I actually changed dogs and I was training with Michaela, with Luna, we were just walking around the street and total strangers were coming up and going, Oh, have you got a new dog? Because from being gold to black, they noticed and said, yeah. And they go, Oh, where's the other one? Oh, that's I said, she's with me, you know, she's, Oh that's good.
They'd walk off and Michaela would go, Who's that? I go, I have no idea. but it happened about half a dozen times to some people. I have no idea who they are, but yes, very noticed... in the streets here.
17:13 S1
Yeah. You become a bit of a celebrity whether you want to be one or not.
17:17 S2
Yes. That's right.
17:20 S1
But I mean, hopefully the kind of perks that you get are that people really understand the work that they're doing.
17:27 S2
That's right, that's right. Like, I hope that... you know, I don't mind people asking me lots of questions about it. And most people are very good at asking, Can I pat her? And I go, No. They go, Yep, totally understand. But yeah, it's making people aware of how important they are, you know, and and just to be able to support it and, you know, tell them Please, you know, donate or you know, keep keep it going.
17:52 S1
So I guess to finish off, is there anything else that you would like to share with the show's listeners?
17:59 S2
Just just that to be aware of.... probably, yeah, how important they are. And not distracting them. And always asking the handler, you know, Can you pack them or not? But yeah, just being aware of how important they are and how they can change someone's life and give them independence and confidence back. So, you know, just please keep supporting if there's people out there who are thinking of that, you know, and all the volunteers and all the puppy carers and everybody like that, it's just such an amazing job to keep going with it.
18:41 S1
You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show on Vision Australia Radio. That was my interview with Seeing Eye Dogs handler Lucia Corradi talking about her new seeing eye dog Luna.
I'm now going to be joined by Paul Adrian Seeing Eye Dogs strategy and change advisor, who's going to talk to us a bit about the New South Wales Roadshow event, as well as becoming a handler and a bit of an update on client services, particularly New South Wales. So without further ado, here is my interview with Paul. Hi, Paul, thanks for joining me on the show today.
19:10 S3
Pleasure to be with you. Harriet.
19:12 S1
Could you please start off by introducing yourself and your role at Seeing Eye Dogs?
19:15 S3
I'm Paul Adrian, I'm a seeing eye dog mobility instructor. I've been in the industry a very, very long time now. And mostly now I just provide advice and support and strategic direction to the Seeing Eye Dogs team.
19:29 S1
So we've got a bit of an exciting event coming up or series of events, which is the New South Wales Roadshow. Could you chat with us a little bit about what the Roadshow is?
19:39 S3
Yeah, look, it's a fantastic initiative. Our two New South Wales based instructors have got off the ground and really it's just an opportunity for clients. And in fact, anybody who's got a real interest in seeing Eye dogs, staff of Vision Australia and anybody else who might have an interest in learning more about seeing eye dogs to meet up with our two instructors and see a couple of our dogs and learn more about the program. We've got two really super enthusiastic instructors based in New South Wales in Luka and Michaela. Many of our our clients will already be well acquainted with them. They'll know, you know, what a positive experience it is working with those two.
It's a real opportunity for people to come along and and just meet with the instructors, learn about the service, see a couple of our dogs and and if they're interested, even take a couple of dogs for a bit of a test drive.
20:33 S1
And I gather it's a bit of a, you know, no commitment, just kind of come and and chat and... see how you feel.
20:40 S3
Absolutely. And I think that's the real beauty of it, Harriet. There is no obligation. Anybody is welcome. It is a really casual atmosphere chatting to those two guys. And I'll be there to to chat with people as well. And yes, it's really, really informal and absolutely no obligation so that that's... that makes it ideal for... people who might be considering a seeing eye dog now might know of somebody who is considering a seeing eye dog, or even for people who might be thinking of seeing eye dog is somewhere in their future, but isn't for them now, but they'd like to know more about it.
21:19 S1
If you are a dog handler, whether that's a seeing eye, dog or another school, are you welcome to come along? You know, if you have your other dog with you?
21:28 S3
Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah. We'll support people with... on the day with whatever their needs are. And yes, everybody is welcome. You know, we're always a dog-friendly environment, and people are welcome to bring their seeing eye dogs or their guide dogs or their staff or working dogs... whichever dogs they might have, or if they've got another assistance dog of of some sort, they're also very welcome. And I think that's just... an opportunity for people to come. And the more people we have there, the better, because, you know, it's an opportunity for people to talk to other people who may be receiving the service and learn about... what people like about our service. I can tell you that, you know, we get great feedback from clients in New South Wales about the flexibility of our instructors and and the quality of our dogs. But, you know, it's also great to talk to people who are recipients of the service as well.
22:26 S1
So you've maybe kind of covered this, but, you know, is there anyone else that should kind of consider coming along?
22:32 S3
As I say, it's it's for anyone who's got some interest or thinks they might benefit from learning more about seeing eye dogs. Also, for people who might be interested in learning about the eligibility criteria so that... they might be referring body, somebody who might be working with... blind or partially sighted people in... other roles, such as occupational therapy or [?Ram]. And they're also welcome to come along to and learn a little bit more about our eligibility criteria and how we operate. And also again, just to... get to meet some of the staff because it... you know, our relationships with with people, our relationships with with clients, I think it's really, really important. And being able to meet meet staff in... that informal environment I think is a really good, good way to start. You know, it's good basis for a good long term relationship.
23:30 S1
And if someone who is, you know, potentially chatting to people at the very early stages of their, you know, vision loss journeys or or or kind of diagnosis, I guess it's good for them to be able to offer a bit of information that you can provide from that, I guess.
23:46 S3
Absolutely. And you know, that that kind of leads me into, you know, what are the key messages, I guess, that we really want to... inform people of during these sessions. And, and I think there's still some really pervasive myths in the industry or amongst the general public, and also people who might be eligible for service. About the services themselves and who might be eligible. And that the first of those myths is that you need to be totally blind to apply for a dog guide, or be eligible for one, and that's simply not true. Many, many clients have... a degree of of vision that's quite useful to them, yet they still benefit considerably from using a seeing eye dog.
I think that myth is not only one that some potential clients have, but also occasionally staff within our agencies and potential referrers as well. So I think we've got to continue to let people know that that isn't the case and that, you know, if you think you might benefit, you should have a conversation with us. We're more than happy to to have that conversation and maybe take you for a walk with the dog, and you can see for yourself how it might benefit you.
And there's a there's a second concern that I have about people not applying when they might be eligible, and that is that some people are under the impression that if they apply for a job, they'd be denying somebody who might need that dog more than they do. That really concerns me because, you know, everybody's needs are legitimate. And the other thing is that over the last ten years or so, and particularly at seeing eye dogs, we've really worked hard. And I mean, the whole team, from breeding to puppy raising to training, and the instructors in the field have really, really worked hard to expand the supply of dogs. So we've got more dogs consistently than we've ever had before. And that means if a person applies and they meet the eligibility criteria, they're not going to be taking a dog from somebody who who needs it more.
And another thing that I think is really important for people to know is that, another myth is that once you apply, you could be waiting a year or a year and a half or even two years for a... seeing eye dog, and again, that isn't true. Our waiting times again as a result of the the really good work of all of the teams I talked about earlier in expanding our supply means that wait times are really quite short. And by that, I think our average wait time at the moment is around 16 weeks. It's fantastic. It's really something we're very, very proud of. And we know for some people, you know, that's very, very important to be able to get a dog quickly, you know, if their needs are very high. For others it may be less important. But for most people, or at least on average, that that wait time is is only measured in the weeks rather than the months.
And sometime in the in the past, it might have been over a year or more that that people had to wait. So that's certainly not the case today. So they're really important messages for us to get out. And those 3 or 4 points, they just they're pervasive. And I think we need to keep telling people those three things. You don't need to be totally blind to to be eligible for a dog. You're not going to be taking one away from somebody who deserves one or needs one more than you do. And you might be waiting a very, very long time for for a new dog or a first dog, if that's the case.
So if we can get those messages across and and of course, the other thing about an event such as this, the roadshow, is that people can also take a dog for a trial walk with one of our instructors and get a feel for for what it's like in this kind of totally no obligation environment. And I think that's a great opportunity just to to help individuals understand how it might benefit them if they're not quite sure.
27:38 S1
And I guess being able to actually talk to someone in person is really going to give you a bit of an idea of not not only kind of the general gist of, you know, seeing our dogs, but also being able to answer questions or ask questions that are very specific to them and their needs. You know, we know it's not just one size fits all. So it's a quite good opportunity, I suppose, for anyone who has a few of their own specific requirements to to discuss that.
28:01 S3
Absolutely. And, you know, the instructors, Michaela and Luca are, you're more than happy and will be more than happy to talk to people about their individual needs and their individual circumstances. And I guess, you know, from a seeing eye dogs perspective, that's another pervasive myth, is that people who apply for a seeing eye dog in New South Wales and the Act need to travel to Melbourne to receive their dog. And, and you know, that's that's 100% not true anymore. It may have been true many, many years ago, but the majority of seeing eye dogs users now in New South Wales and the Act have received all of their services from the comfort of their own home, and not only from a location of their choosing, but very often at a time of their choosing as well. That's the kind of flexibility that that team in New South Wales are able to offer to people.
28:51 S1
Well, it sounds like a really brilliant event, so good luck and I hope to see any listeners there.
28:55 S3
Yeah, that'd be fantastic. I'll be I'll be at all of the... four events in Sydney, so I'd love to catch up with as many people who want to come along on the day.
29:09 S1
The Seeing Eye Dogs New South Wales Roadshow will be held on the week of November 25th, across four dates from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day at Vision Australia's offices. We will be at Ashfield on November 25th, at Caringbah on the 26th, Epping on the 27th and Parramatta on the 28th. More information about these events is available on the society's website at sed.visionaustralia.org ... These events are open to all and free to attend. Email us now at sedclients at Vision Australia dot org to secure your spot.
You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show on Vision Australia Radio. Thank you for listening and have a lovely week.
