Tag Archives: guide dogs for the blind association

My New Guide Dog

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On 1 September 2020, my old friend and guide dog Trigger was put to sleep due to having developed cancer. The months following his death were difficult. Not only had I lost a mobility aid but (far more importantly) I had lost a companion who had accompanied me almost everywhere since 4 July 2011. Of course as time passes the sadness becomes intermixed with happier recollections of one’s time together. One never forgets but life goes on and, in time one smiles again.

I have, since Trigger’s death, been using a long white cane. Whilst I am a competent cane user, it is far easier when walking with a guide dog (in my experience) than when utilising a white cane. I was therefore delighted when on Monday 1 November I received a call from the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association informing me that I had been matched with guide dog Apollo.

My training begins on 8 November and will run for a period of 5 weeks. I shall be trained at home which is in accordance with my preference. I have undergone training in a hotel previously and whilst access to a swimming pool was wonderful (I swam most days, minus the dog of course)! Hotel food became somewhat tedious after a time and I longed for home comforts.

It is an irony that I shall be sharing my home with the god of poetry, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo. I wonder what impact he will have on my poetry …!

I shall write more about Apollo over the coming weeks. In the meantime, for anyone who is interested in learning about the work of Guide Dogs please follow this link, https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/

K Morris reading his poem ‘Dog Bed’.

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On 2nd September I wrote about the sad death of my guide dog Trigger, which can be found here: https://kmorrispoet.com/2020/09/02/trigger/

I have now recorded my poem ‘Dog Bed’, which was written in memory of Trigger.

DOG BED

The mark
Of your teeth is still there,
On your old dog bed.
I walk in the park,
Where
The dead
Leaves lie.

Shadows on the grass
Mistook for an old friend.
All things pass,
However much we pretend
Otherwise. You closed your eyes,
And left your mark
Upon my heart.

Below are some photographs:

  • Me remembering Trigger
  • Trigger relaxing on the ground
  • Me petting Trigger
  • My friend Trigger and me at the Park
  • Me talking about Trigger
  • Myself and Trigger in the Woods
  • A Sitting Long-nosed Bear or Wolf Sculpture
  • Enjoying a nice drink outside
  • Enjoying the woods together
  • A close up of Trigger!

If you would like to donate to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, who receive no government funding you can do so here: https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/donate-now

Many thanks in advance to anyone who kindly donates.

Anthology In Aid Of Guide Dogs – A Guest Post On Victoria Zigler’s Blog By Author K Morris

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A big thank you to fellow blind author, Victoria (Tori) Zigler for hosting a guest post by me regarding an anthology in support of Guide Dogs. The book is free to download, however I and my fellow contributors hope that anyone downloading the book will make a donation to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, (GDBA), a registered charity which relies entirely on voluntary donations. To read my guest post on Tori’s blog please visit the following link (http://ziglernews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/anthology-to-raise-money-for-guide-dogs.html). To visit the dedicated page for the anthology please go to (http://newauthoronline.com/anthology-to-raise-money-for-guide-dogs/).

 

Kevin

Charity anthology to raise money for Guide Dogs – Book cover

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As loads of you who follow this blog will know, I am, with the kind contributions of fellow authors/bloggers compiling a charity anthology to raise money for the Guide Dogs for the Blind association (http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/).

The Story Reading Ape has very kindly agreed to design a cover for the anthology free of charge – thank you Chris! I would be grateful for feedback on the proposed cover together with comments regarding the suggested title for the anthology.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the anthology and to David who is kindly editing the book without charge.

Kevin

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