“A dog is a man’s best friend” is perfect to describe the special relationship between a guide dog and its owner. Christine Fleming reports on the lifeline guide dogs offer.

For many of us the idea of navigating obstacles like pavements and roads is hardly given a second thought - after all we deal with them on a daily basis.

But for some, especially those who are partially or fully blind, the effort it takes to get safely from a to b becomes much more of an issue.

That is where organisations like Guide Dogs for the Blind come into play.

Isa Martinez, 44, the new chairwoman of the Richmond and district branch of Guide Dogs for the Blind, said: “People don’t realise how much these dogs affect someone’s mobility - they offer independence and give people back a normal life.”

The charity has been helping the visually impaired for almost 80 years by training and providing essential working guide dogs.

The dogs, usually labradors, German shepherds and golden retrievers undergo two years of training where they learn how to navigate roads and stay focused before being paired with an owner who they will then escort every day.

Run entirely on donations the national charity is split into branches, with each area doing its bit to help raise just some of the £48,500 needed to fund each guide dog from being a puppy through to training, and then throughout its 10-year working career, paying for food and vet bills along the way.

Isa, herself blind in her left eye following a gang attack in Hackney three years ago, said although she did not have an official guide dog herself she knew first hand how beneficial canine friends were.

She said: “I wasn’t prepared to wait for a guide dog [as waiting lists are so long] so I got Pepe a German shepherd rescue dog.

“It is reassuring when I go out... the safest I feel is when I am with my dog, I know he is looking out for me.”

Isa was inspired to take on the challenge of becoming the chairwoman of the borough's re-launched branch after realising many people thought the local branch was only for Richmond and not for the surrounding areas of Twickenham, Hampton and other parts of the borough as well.

In her new role she is responsible for helping to promote the charity and raises general awareness for the national group.

She encourages new volunteers to collect much needed funds by coming up with different fundraising projects. Funds raised then goes towards helping Guide Dogs for the Blind have enough money to provide more people with guide dogs and reduce the current waiting list.

The Petersham resident said: “The partnership between the guide dog and owner is special and one of empowerment. It enables the person to be independent.

“The quote ‘a dog is a man's best friend’ could not be more apt as in the case of the relationship between a guide dog and its owner.”

Special bond

Keith Waters, 56, got his first guide dog 39 years ago when his already partial sight started deteriorating rapidly as he hit his teenage years.

Keith, from Twickenham, said having a guide dog gave him increased confidence and independence. His current dog is a nine-year-old black labrador called Danny.

He said: “Danny enables me to go out and do social activities and go shopping. Wherever I need to go he can take me but I do have to know where I am going myself.”

Danny, who has been with Keith for seven years, is a loyal companion as well as being his owner’s eyes.

Keith said: “There is a very special bond. We are very close to each other and Danny doesn’t like to be far away from me, his eyes are always following me around.”

How to get involved:

Contact Isa at the Richmond branch of Guide Dogs for the Blind on 020 8408 1037.

Find out more about the charity at guidedogs.org.

Look out for news about group meetings in the Richmond and Twickenham Times.