Running with a guide dog

I will never forget how much more freedom I experienced all of a sudden when I got my guide dog, Baldwin from guiding eyes for the Blind. That was approximately the time when Guiding Eyes started to train running guides. This means that a blind or visually impaired person can take up running as a sport and do it independently with a guide dog. The white cane is not for running, it is simply dangerous.

One could ask, why not just run with a regular guide dog? After all dogs enjoy running. This is why it is not possible: a guide dog by default is trained to recognize and avoid obstacles at a walking speed. When one would run with a guide dog, practically it would ask the dog to do something she has never been trained to do. It would be confusing for the dog and dangerous for the blind person. During the training program, Guiding Eyes does ask dog handlers not to run with their dogs while guiding, unless the dog has been specifically trained for that. By default, Guiding Eyes does not train running guides, but anybody can request one.

I was always curious how one works with a running guide, but since I’m not a runner I somehow never investigated it until recently. I met Cindy Lou Altman on one of the Guiding Eyes mailing lists and I asked her to explain it to me.

She has been running with a guide for over five years now, first with her second dog Jada and now with Crystal whom she started working with a couple of months ago.

Before running with a guide dog, it is absolutely necessary to learn to work together and get used to each other as a guide and dog handler. Running can only take place after that. I was curious if you can just walk or run and switch it around any time, but it is a bit more complex. Of course there is a point when a dog has to slow down, but it is not that someone can just run on the street, rather, when they go out running that’s the purpose of the entire activity.

When running, the guide dog even uses a different harness. It’s a lightweight material harness that allows less rubbing as a traditional, leather and metal harness. The harness handle attaches to the middle of the dogs shoulder, compared to a traditional harness that is an alongside of the dogs shoulders. The different placement allows for better reading of the dogs movement laterally while running.

Cindy Lou explained that initially it helps is a sighted person accompanies them when they learn the first routs. The way it works is that the sighted person is running a few steps behind and gives instructions as needed. The dog avoids the obstacles and the sighted person provides information so that the runner can memorize the rout or be aware of certain challenges.

However, this doesn’t always have to be the case. Cindy Lou uses a run tracker, which is an app that amongst other things it tells hew how far she has run, and when she feels it is half way, she can turn around and track back the distance. This way she just needs to follow a trail, which will give true independence when running. And of course there are many other applications for way tracking and way finding one can use while running as well as in any other situations.

Cindy Lou also attends races, I asked her how is it different with a running guide. She said that the most important thing is to have information in advance so that she can prepare. She contacts the race director to provide an electronic description of the rout ahead of the race together with any other information so that she can prepare. She also explained that some blind runners may have other preferences for example that they would like to start first, start last, or have it announced to the participants to be more mindful because there is a blind runner with a guide dog.

Another important thing Cindy Lou pointed out that when she runs, she always wears a high visibility vest which says blind runner so it is easier to identify her. But her dog knows already how to guide her to the side of the road when another runner or a bike is approaching.

Running with a dog truly opens new opportunities for blind people in sports. Let’s face it, sports in general can be much more difficult for blind people. Many simply require vision, and while there are adopted versions of sports, the question is if there is a local team available to join, and often times it is not the case. One can go to the gym, where hopefully machines are made accessible, not to mention, if there is reasonable transportation to get there. Sometimes when there’s no public transportation or paratransit nearby, the cost of ride sharing to go to the gym far exceeds the membership. But running can be done practically anywhere with usable roads or trails. All people need is good training, a running guide which Guiding Eyes for the Blind provides free of charge, and the willingness to want to run.