A couple of weeks ago some colleagues and I had a thought; are guide dogs allowed in a casino? Do blind people even gamble? with those initial questions a whole series of further questions then arose as we jokingly laughed out loud at the idea of a blind man risking it all in a casino. Never in our life did we think we would live to see the day. The look on all our faces said it best. The surprise was almost overwhelming, and we watched amazed as a blind man and his dog were escorted into the casino. How were we to deal with a blind man and his dog? I guessed at the time that the most important thing was to be cool. And thus my only reaction at the time was to ask - what's the dog's name?
They came into my restaurant for lunch. An old man - blind for many years - one could tell by the grace in his movement - his trust in himself as he sat down with ease at the table. His wing man guiding himself into position beside him, an action the dog had obviously done many times before. As I introduced myself to the old man and his dog I started what would be a journey into the world of the Australian Guide Dogs. The first lesson I learned was simple. It is OK to say hello to guide dogs. They're very people oriented and love nothing better than getting a good scratch on the back - but only if they are not working. Once they're harnessed it's a different ball game. They go into what they call a zone. So here in my restaurant on a quiet afternoon I found myself free to play with a pure breed guide dog. Most guide dogs are Labrador and begin their life like any other pup - footloose and fancy free. Poochy, the wing-man and best friend of the blind man that was sitting at my table knew I meant him no harm and positioned himself on his back for a tummy rub. His friendlessness was way too cool for school.
A pure breed Labrador pup is worth upward in the range of $45000 dollars and that's even before they are selected to be paired with their handler. Not all dogs can become guide dogs and the only way to tell an actual trained dog is to look for the little gold medallion that hangs proudly from his or her collar. All guide dogs also have what they call a passport – a license if you will, that allows them to travel freely where all other animals may not. I also found out that only 1 in 5 dogs that go through the training process are successful. But the most amazing part about the Australian Guide Association is once the training is complete the dogs are given freely to those who need them the most at no cost. Zip, zero nudda. They are truly amazing animals. The National Guide Dog Association is a non-government funded organisation. They rely on money donated by the general public. I still have memories as a kid standing in the local butcher looking up at mum while she ordered whatever meat from the guy behind the counter, as I casually swung on the large plastic dog – the plastic guide dog - which was heavy with coins given freely. I never knew how much time and patience was needed in order to train a guide dog but after my encounter with Poochy I'll never look at them the same way again.
After a brief lunch and a couple of beers I asked if he, the blind man, was ready to leave. "Actually"; he said with a sly smile on his face - "I think I would like to have a punt!" "Great!" I said; "What do you like to play?" I "asked Thinking inside my head - I have to see this! He looked up at me and with an uncanny look he said; "I can hear a train and a clown coming from over that direction, I would like to play one of those machines." I told him to wait while I went and reserved a clown machine for him and his dog.
After a brief heads up to the gaming staff I made sure the blind man and his dog were seated comfortably at one of our many poker machines. And this is where he sat for the next 3 hours. I will never forget walking up to him after about 20 minutes or so and asking him so how goes it? His quick and sharp reply left me in stitches “You tell me!” I looked at his machine and smiled - he was up and he wouldn't have even known. His credits rolled up and down over the next 3 hours or so and just has he was about to leave and cash out he hit the jackpot.
A quick visit to the cashier and the blind man and his dog walked out with over 800 dollars. Not bad I thought for an investment of 50 dollars or so. And as I escorted him and his dog to the entrance of the casino I could not help but laugh and think – even a blind man can do it!
