Nick the Guide Dog

Hello, friends,

my name is Nick and I'm the guide dog of my blind owner Zdenda. I stepped in as the successor to the best dog in the whole universe, Perry, whose life's journey sadly came to an end on 18 October 2024. My owner calls me a sunshine dog, or blondie. My job is to help my owner walk his various routes so he can be independent and sure of every step he takes.

Let me introduce myself a little more closely.

Who I actually am

I'm a yellow Labrador retriever. I was born to my mum Vanilla and dad Calvin on 28 October 2023. I have seven siblings, and all of us have names beginning with the letter N.

My childhood and wonderful pre-training

After enjoying a lovely childhood with my siblings and my mum, I was entrusted to a volunteer family for pre-training. I was incredibly lucky to end up with a lady doctor who treats little children. There I got lots of love and admiration. The children stroked me and talked to me, and I've been very fond of them ever since.

With the lady doctor I even went along on emergency shifts at the hospital in Motol. Everyone there liked me and I liked them too. I helped many a little patient get through their time in hospital a bit more calmly and happily.

What does the word “pre-training” actually mean?

A little puppy can't yet learn such serious things as finding a pedestrian crossing, pointing out the right door, or safely guiding their human. That's why it's first entrusted to a volunteer family, whose job is to teach it the most important basics of canine behaviour.

During pre-training, they taught me, for example:

to do my business properly and not make puddles at home,
to behave nicely indoors and not chew everything I find,
to know where my bed is and rest calmly on it,
to ride all sorts of transport and even manage escalators,
to accompany my human to the shop, a restaurant, a concert or an exhibition,
to obey important commands like “come”, “heel”, “sit” and “lie down”,
to let my coat be brushed, my claws trimmed and to be bathed calmly,
not to take treats from anyone – only my owner is allowed to give them to me.

All of this was tremendously important so that one day I could become a real and reliable helper.

Doggy university, or My training

Once I had the basics down in my paw, real dog university came next. Trainer Hanka took me on. Right at the start she introduced me to a peculiar outfit – a guide dog harness. I soon understood that the moment it goes on, the puppy shenanigans end and I turn into a pro at work.

Hanka took me to Prague and what a ride that was! We practised an elegant hop into the car (so I wouldn't jump in like a sack of potatoes), we strode along escalators and the platforms of the Prague metro, and above all we polished that proper Prague power-walk. At times I felt more like a racing greyhound than a Labrador! On top of that they poured a whole heap of new commands into my head. It was demanding, but Hanka and I turned it into a great game.

Home at last!

After sorting out all those boring paper formalities, I finally reached my destination – my owner and mistress. And that's when real life truly began!

My school gang of heroes, or How the canteen folks helped me home

But before I could move in with my owners for good and start fully organising their lives, one big, boring grown-up matter had to be settled – the money for the fee owed to the office. And just imagine where my rescuers turned up! It was a bunch of truly wonderful people, who are now great friends of ours – from one amazing school canteen!

They decided they wouldn't leave me in the lurch and held a fundraiser for me. My owners and I are so very grateful. From the bottom of my honest doggy heart, I thank you all that, thanks to your love, kindness (and perhaps the odd secret sausage that occasionally wafted by), I made it to my family safe and sound.

So I'm sending one enormous, loud and joyful: “Woof, woof, woof!” In my language, that's the most sincere thank-you of all!

I love romping around our garden. You see, I've discovered that my mistress is a wonderful gardener who grows nothing but goodies. I secretly nibble her strawberries and raspberries with great relish, I adore munching cherries, and for dessert I finish off with pears. A proper dog needs his vitamins, after all!

My mistress and I take beautiful long walks in the forest. There I dash about like a racing hound, roll around like a loon, and chase – well, more accurately, the other dogs, my four-legged pals, chase me.

And when the fun is over, my mistress drives me in our little vehicle to my owner at work, so I can rest a bit before the real job – the walk with my owner to the bus. On the way there, though, I sometimes kick up a proper fuss in the boot of our vehicle, just so things don't get dull. Then, once my owner clocks off, I lean into the harness and literally haul him to the bus so we can get home as soon as possible.

Just so we understand each other, our “vehicle” is the four-wheeled contraption that people call a car.

I love my people terribly much. For absolute perfection I'm missing only one tiny thing: if only the cats at our place could be a little kinder. I'll let you in on a big secret – even though I'm a big, brave guide dog, I'm absolutely terrified of those beasts of ours!