Norek

Yellow Lab from Kociokwik Breeding. Trained by the instructor Wioleta Gawłowska and given to Joanna Nibelska, student of Warsaw University, in August 2006.

I am a student of the 4th year of pedagogics at the University of Warsaw. There were always dogs in my home, but such a big dog is for the first time. I have never had a guide dog before, but I know many dogs from Poland and from abroad. I saw how they work with people. I wanted for a long time to have a dog that would help me. Now I know that it is not only a pleasure, but also a big responsibility. Norek is not only every day a better guide dog for me, but first of all he became my friend, I can play with him. We walk together to the city, to visit friends and to school – we study together. Thanks to Norek I can walk faster and safer, he passes by obstacles and people, pays attention to cars, guides me on stairs, leads me to pedestrian crossings. I don’t have to ask anybody if there is a street crossing in the place I am now. I am sorry to say that the biggest problem are people who don’t like dogs on the sidewalks, and especially in buses or trams . Our society is not awakened yet to the problem of people with disabilities, not even talking about “some guide dogs”. Polish people are surprised seeing somebody in a wheelchair or with a cane. Unfortunately, we are far away from Europe in this matter. Norek is my guide for a month only and we probably need more time to well understand each other and become close friends, but I hope that this will come pretty soon.

Joanna Nibelska