West Ham Till I Die
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Talking Point

Nyle Becomes a Hammer

*Blind Hammer will have a new companion at the LS next season.

My Guide Dog Nyle has finally been allocated space at the London Stadium. Nyle is a beautiful and remarkable dog who has transformed my life over the last 4 years. There are occasions in which he has quite literally saved my life. For example see
https://dgriffithblog.com/2017/03/21/today-a-guide-dog-saved-my-life-seriously-again/

The sad thing was that at Upton Park, and this last season at the London Stadium, there was simply no room in which I could take Nyle. I am a big unit- over 6ft 3inches tall even in my stooped older state. Nyle is an equivalent big dog needed to drag me around, he is over 6 stones himself and when stretched out he covers the whole of the back seat of our car. I could only just squeeze myself into my seat at the London Stadium. There was no practical room for Nyle to come.

Now West Ham has allocated an area which extra space where Nyle can rest on his rug.

This should transform my experience of match days. We will still have a seat for a sighted human carer as Nyle and I need help to manage amongst the crowds at the Stadium itself. However the extra space for Nyle will transform the way I can travel.

It will now be possible for me to take more logical routes to the Stadium and back home. These routes were, until now, difficult, stressful if not downright impossible for a completely blind person using a white stick. For example, navigating around the Olympic Park itself is extremely challenging for someone blind. There are few walls to safely tap along to guide you, no simple streets with kerbs to follow, no portable GPS information, to reassure you that you are on a correct street. My specialised CPS will simply announce I am in an “Open area” which is not very helpful. The potential to spend hours wandering blindly lost around a vast park are high. Even my sighted guides sometimes struggle to work out where they are in the park.

Now Nyle should simply be able to walk me out of the Park to the Bus Stop I need, help me get on the Bus and last but not least get me home from where the Bus drops me off again. It sounds odd but a Guide dog is often better than a human at guiding.

Much of these logical journeys were impossible, at least worrying and trying simply using a white cane. In reality I spent a lot of money on taxis and adopting different longer routes home depending on which sighted help I had and what way they were travelling.

Another aspect is that Nyle and I will not be regularly separated. People rarely understand the depth of the bond which develops between a guide Dog and his owner. A guide Dog is by some order of magnitude, more integrated into your life than a normal pet dog would be. People rightly get very fond of their pets but the mutual reliance a Guide Dog and their owner develop is special. You normally need a Guide Dog to go everywhere with you. Nyle believes it is his job to be with me at all times. Nyle will guide me to my fortnightly hospital visits at Bart’s, and also Doctors’ appointments. In addition on the Health theme he guides me to a Clinic for blood tests, at Whips Cross Hospital he guide some variously to the Eye Treatment Centre, Chest Clinic, Audiology clinic, and Orthopaedic Clinics. He does all this for me without the need for any human help. Although as you might guess I have some health issues this is thankfully not all that he does. He guides me to lectures, to local shops, and a variety of social events including his favourite local cafes and pubs which he is very fond of. Even at the allotment he guides me to the water trough so that we can collect water to refresh the potatoes. In between times he will happily lay quietly at my back for hours whilst I do the weeding. He lies at my feet whilst I type my Blind Hammer Posts.

This means he cannot understand why every fortnight or so I abandon him for 6 hours. It also feels a bit weird for me personally to go out without him. According to my wife, he pines and worries whilst I am away. He actually starts getting anxious as soon as I put on my West Ham scarf.

So this is set to change next season. Another Guide Dog user has told me that his Dogs reportedly watches the game, or at least allegedly tracks the ball with their eyes. I guess they also get interested with the Referee’s whistle. Whether Nyle will turn his undoubted intelligence to making observations for Bilic’s tactics we will have to see. I suspect that he may just be more interested in gnawing his Antler toy.

So thanks, to West Ham Accessibility Team, for finally making arrangements to allow Nyle to become a Hammer.

COYI

David Griffith

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