Help get Guide dog Oscar back on his paws

Help Oscar Get Back on His Paws

Oscar has been my loving and loyal guide dog for the past eight years. We’ve been together pretty much 24 hours a day. He’s navigated not just obstacles, but some of the most significant highs and lows in my life! I’m glad he can’t talk!!!

I couldn’t be more proud of him!

Unfortunately, Oscar is facing an unexpected and early retirement due to a severe injury. He has ruptured his cruciate ligament, a condition that requires immediate surgical intervention.

The surgery Oscar needs is crucial to alleviate his pain and restore his mobility. He requires surgery on at least one knee and possibly both, with each leg costing £4500 for the procedure alone. This amount does not include the essential physio and hydrotherapy sessions that will aid his recovery process.

While the cost is substantial, the value Guide Dogs brings to people’s lives is immeasurable.

now he needs our help to get back on his paws. I’ve started the fund with £500 of my own money and intend to add more to the fund when I can, but your generosity can make a profound difference.

You can find out more about the hospital and the surgery he will be having here https://www.paragonreferrals.co.uk/tibial-plateau-levelling-osteotomy-tplo/By contributing to Oscar's surgery fund, you are not only helping a loyal guide dog recover but also ensuring that he continues to live a happy and pain-free life.

Guide Dogs is paying for the treatment but as there are thousands more people who would also benefit from their support, anything we can do to cover the cost, frees up the funds to help someone else.

Here’s an article Oscar wrote (with my help of course), featuring a typical day in his life.

“Day In the Life of me, Oscar the guide dog!

6:20am bang on, food time., but only after Peter hits the snooze button many times and plenty of nose nudging from me. This sleeping is exhausting!

Following a good brushing, we set off in the taxi (only half an hour late today) and no, contradictory to popular belief, I don’t bark once for left and two for right although perhaps I should, given the drivers surprisingly poor sense of direction.

Once in the office it’s play time before the punters arrive. Which colleague is in first? Will they play? Will they ever manage to avoid the ceiling tiles and computers when making a poor attempt to throw the squeaky elephant. They must be stupid as regularly I let them throw it and watch as they must go retrieve it!

The daily buzz meeting is great, trying to distract team leaders during their updates, flipping over on to my back and baring all to see who laughs first. Colleagues have interesting smells. Some good, some not so good, but at least a few have gravy bones in their pockets.

Once we open, I do my best to entertain. I just manage to get to the front of our desk on a long lead. I interact with customers, bringing a smile to even the most anxious and unhappy of customers.

Lunchtime it’s off to Sainsbury’s. I’ve stopped trying to pick up litter, last night’s burger kindly disposed of on the pavement and sniffing of what was likely someone’s bladder contents after a night out. I deserve a free reign after keeping Peter safe, avoiding people who ironically can see but choose not to as they are looking at their phones and unable to avoid the most obvious of obstacles; traffic illegally stopped on crossings, cars parked on the pavement, with the driver incorrectly thinking a gap for one person to get by is enough. They do not appreciate that Peter and I, the elderly, people with mobility issues and others, may need more space and are more at risk having to step into the road.

I skilfully get to the customer service desk for an assistive shop. Using my big brown eyes, I attempt to entice the lady to make a break for the dog toys and treats but no luck. Maybe next time!

Time for home. A much-needed meal is followed by more playtime. The weird looking stretchy raccoon is best although I’m sure it’s not supposed to have its innards hanging out! Then off for a run for an hour. If it’s dark my mate Ginge the cat comes out with us for a bit. I wear my big bell, and he wears his little bell, constantly checking if another dog will come and poised to run up a tree if needed. The stupid moggy finds it hilarious to come tap my nose with his paw while I’m sleeping and interrupting my dreams.

It’s 9pm and time for bed and more sleep. It’s a hard life!

“

Every little bit helps, and no donation is too small. Together, we can give Oscar the chance to run, play, and have the retirement he deserves.

Thank you for your support and compassion.

information about The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association: Guide Dogs exists to provide life-changing services to the 360,000 people who are registered blind or partially sighted, and the two million people in the UK living with sight loss. We are best known for our world-famous guide dogs, but our work now encompasses so much more. In recent years, we have expanded our services beyond our dogs to help thousands of people with different needs lead confident, independent and fulfilling lives