“Before I had a guide dog, I was lacking confidence. I would get on a bus and try to squeeze myself into a corner because I just knew that people were looking at me, knowing that I am blind and watching me for what I couldn't do. My entire world changed when I got my first guide dog. People still looked at me, but they focused on the dog and what a wonderful animal he was. While they knew I was blind, now the focus was on what I could do because of the dog and not what I couldn't do. This gave me so much confidence that I went back to school and eventually began my career in the disability field. I owe all of that and more to Clyde, my first guide dog, and all the guide dogs after him. I met my current guide dog, Carla, by happenstance before we were formally matched. I was at CNIB’s Canine Campus, and Carla's trainer brought her to a meeting. He sat next to me. In retrospect, I think he was testing me and my previous guide dog, who was about to retire, to see how we would react to her. A few months later, I learned Carla would be my new guide dog – I was so excited! When Carla came to my house, I was feeling very emotional. I felt unbelievable joy to be handed such a lovely gift of independence and freedom, and some sadness knowing that it was time for my previous dog to retire. This is the emotional roller coaster we deal with every time we need to get a new guide dog. Carla is a darling though – she’s very friendly, so full of joy and love. She needs to be challenged mentally all the time, so we've played many games to keep her brain active during the pandemic. Not for any real reason other than to give her something to work on, I taught her to ring a bell with her nose.” – Diane