September 22, 2025 • 28 mins
On this episode of the Seeing Eye Dogs Show, Harriet is joined by Seeing Eye Dogs handler Colleen Ashby who will talk about her life, story and partnership with Seeing Eye Dog Inca. Colleen has been on this show before, talking about her book I Can See Clearly Now, her transplant games athletic journey and her partnership with her previous SED Xian. Colleen has a new Seeing Eye Dog Inca now so we're going to chat about retiring Xian, transitioning to a new dog and all that comes with that.
If you'd like to listen to the previous interview, it's available here: https://omny.fm/shows/seeing-eye-dogs-show/colleen-ashby-and-xian-handler-story
If you'd like to find out more about Seeing Eye Dogs head to our website: https://sed.visionaustralia.org/
If you're blind or have low vision and are interested in becoming a handler or applying for a Seeing Eye Dog, please email us at info@sed.org.au or call on 1800 037 773 to discuss dog guide mobility, eligibility or assessment.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:19):
On Vision Australia radio. You're listening to the synodic show
with me, your host, Harriet Moffatt. Today I have Colleen
Ashby back on the show. Colleen is a Perth woman
seeing eye dogs, handler, participant in the World Transplant Games
and author of book You Gotta Laugh, which we have
discussed on this show before. Colleen has been working with
Seeing Erosion and has retired the lovely Gene and transitioned
(00:43):
to a new Seeing eye dog. So we're going to
be talking a bit about Colleen and Incas new partnership,
as well as that transition and retirement process and Colleen's
life and her story. If you would like to hear
some of the previous episodes, they are available on your
preferred podcast provider or our Omni FM page. But for now,
(01:03):
I hope you enjoy my new interview with Colleen Ashby
talking about her new partnership. Hi, Colleen. Thank you for
joining me on the show today.
S2 (01:17):
Thank you for having me. I'm glad to be here.
S3 (01:20):
So you're you're back and you have been on the
show before. But for those people that may not remember
your first interview, could you please introduce yourself?
S2 (01:28):
So I'm Colleen Ashby and I live in Perth or
in Lesmurdie up in the beautiful hills, and I initially
had my first seeing eye dog, Jan, and I've now
progressed onto my new seeing eye dog, Inka, and we've
been paired up for months. And last time I was
(01:48):
on the show, it was about my books that I
had written. So I'm glad to be back.
S3 (01:54):
And are you also still a swimmer?
S2 (01:56):
Yes. Um, I had competed, I think last time I
was on the show I hadn't been to them, but
I finished up competing, uh, because I lost my sight
from a heart transplant. And I competed in the World
Transplant Games here in Perth in 23 and brought home
a gold, silver and bronze.
S1 (02:18):
Wow. Congratulations.
S2 (02:19):
Thank you. But since I've had a few shoulder injuries,
to say the least, I won't go into them. But, uh,
last year, and for nearly last year, I was in
a sling between my left and right shoulder or arm
for over five months. So I'm just getting back into
the gym and getting myself starting to swim a bit now.
(02:44):
But I do tandem riding as well, so I'm getting
myself bike fit to get back to all that stuff
as well.
S1 (02:51):
Oh well, good luck with the rehab. It sounds like
tandem is probably a pretty good cross training for some
parts of the cardio, but yeah, good luck with that
rehab ahead.
S2 (03:00):
Yeah. Thank you. No, it's going well. So. Yep. Just
onwards and upwards now.
S1 (03:05):
It's it's a journey isn't it? Uh, a few setbacks
and you keep getting back on the horses, so to speak.
S2 (03:11):
That's it. Life is definitely not a destination. It's the
journey along the way that we have to be present in. Yeah.
S4 (03:19):
So could you please tell us a bit about.
S1 (03:21):
Your new Seeing Eye dog?
S2 (03:23):
Yes. So, uh, Inka is, uh, she was two when
I just got her over in Melbourne, uh, beginning of April,
and we've been paired up, I think, uh, about four
months now. And she is just gorgeous. She's a little
pocket rocket, a tiny little black female lab. And, yeah,
(03:46):
our matching process has just gone so smoothly. It's unbelievable.
Mind you, I had the same with Jan. We just
paired up beautifully well together, which I know doesn't always happen,
but luckily for me, it has. And right now, she's
actually getting very used to me going into the gym.
(04:06):
And she takes me around to the different weight machines
that I use and then to the bike for fitness.
So everybody at the gym is starting to know her.
They don't touch her, which is very good. Yeah, great.
And she's now when I go to the pool, she's
learning to sort of like, just wait while I'm in
(04:27):
the pool, she can still see me, so that's good. And, um,
she's doing her job there, so I'm very happy about that. Yeah.
S1 (04:36):
And what made you decide to go to Melbourne to
train with her? Did you do that with Sian as well?
S2 (04:42):
Yeah. So I went to Melbourne to get Sian. Uh, well,
I wanted the experience, but we also had a little
pet dog as well. And I think going to Melbourne,
when you've got family at home and other pets to
really bond with your new companion, you kind of need
that one on one. And it's a really informative training
(05:08):
program that's quite intense, but great. Um, you might still
get that with the trainer in your state, but I
think Melbourne just really knows how to do it superbly well.
And so this time I wanted to go over there because, again,
I've still got family in the house, had grown up. Well,
they're adult children. Uh, but then I'd have two dogs
(05:31):
and also trying to work out with Jan with her
not going out. Yeah. Um, I had to bond with
Inca by myself, so I went back to Melbourne to
get her.
S1 (05:45):
Yeah, that makes sense. And I guess, you know, with
Jan and the other dog, you know, you don't want
to compete for their attention either.
S2 (05:52):
No. That's right. And they'd be wanting my attention like
they've always had. And now I'd be having to be
more focused on Inca. So I think going to Kensington
is just a great way of that intense matching process.
And it's a lovely centre. I love going over to Melbourne.
S1 (06:12):
And hopefully you hopefully you enjoyed some, you know, coffee
and cafes and restaurants and stuff as well when you're over.
S2 (06:18):
To say the least. Yeah. Um, let's face it, when
you've got a seeing eye dog and you're training, it's
all about the coffee and cake, of course. Um, and
for me, Melbourne is like a little, um, holiday and
tourist thing going into Melbourne and on the trams, which
we don't have. Well, I don't think a lot of
places have them. And just the, you know, the nice
(06:39):
hype of Melbourne and North Melbourne and the markets and everything,
it's like, you know, playing tourists there as well. So
I had a fantastic time both times.
S1 (06:48):
I love.
S2 (06:48):
It.
S1 (06:50):
And it's a very nice thing, I guess, to kind
of celebrate the end of your holiday and going back with,
you know, with your new dog as well, like you're
settling back in, but, you know, it's um, yeah, probably
quite nice to have that bond as well.
S2 (07:02):
Yeah. Yeah. I think if to have a dog brought
over here and trying to initially bond with it, with
the other things going on in the house, it would
be a much harder process. So, um, no, it's a
really well, the way the program runs. And then, of course,
(07:23):
when I flew back, Matt, the dog trainer, picked us
up from the airport. And that afternoon we started training
after we had to do all the introductions of the
old pet dog and then John. So that process actually
took a couple of hours. Um, and then we went
straight up into Kalamunda and started introducing her to the,
(07:43):
the new scents and smells up in the hills over
the other side of Australia. So, um, and that happened
for the next two weeks. We just every day did training.
So it was just full on.
S1 (07:55):
Which.
S2 (07:55):
Was great.
S1 (07:56):
Yeah.
S2 (07:57):
So had a month of intense training. Yeah, yeah.
S1 (08:00):
And I guess that really contributes to your feeling of
like the match kind of making sense and working. You know,
it's like you really have had that time to kind
of get to know each other just as quick as possible.
S2 (08:11):
Yeah. That's right. So over in Melbourne, which I think
is more familiar for Inca with the smells and everything, um,
it was a great bonding time. And because then that
environment is new to me. And then, of course, she
has to come over here to Perth, which all the
smells and just the whole way things are, it's a
bit slower over here, especially up in the hills, is
(08:32):
was all different for her. And by the end of
the month I think we were really just knitted together.
S1 (08:39):
Well how nice.
S2 (08:41):
Yeah. Yeah. So it was great.
S4 (08:44):
So you've still got John.
S1 (08:45):
Is there anything that you would like to share about
her retirement, or even just the kind of transition that
you've had together?
S2 (08:51):
Yes. So when the dog trainer here said, well, you know,
John's eight. Uh, we'll start checking every six months and
we'll have to start talking about the R word retirement.
That was like, oh, but the dog, you know, I'm
not ready yet. You know, she's still working fine. And
I remember we were up in Kalamunda and done some
(09:13):
work around our little sort of city up here or
town centre. We're having a coffee, and he was going
over the paperwork and I was just crying. I couldn't
even think about the process of letting Jan go. And
I was like, like crying outside his coffee shop. And
even then, for the next six months, whenever I was
talking to my friends about, oh, I've got to retire, Jan,
(09:34):
I couldn't do it without bursting into tears and, and,
you know, so it's very emotional because you've been bonded
for so long. Yeah. And then thinking, oh, there's a
lot of guilt associated with retiring a dog. You feel
like you're like, oh, I'm going to, um, doing the
wrong thing by them and like, you're leaving them behind
(09:54):
and and like, oh, how can you do that and everything.
So and guilt is just a very common part of
the process. So it's unique to everybody. It's not unique
at all. Um, and it's also a grieving process. So, um,
because you've been so bonded even though you might like.
I was lucky I've got to keep Jan. I know
(10:16):
there's a lot of people that can't keep their retired dogs,
and so it is a grief. And you have to
go through all those things that you would if somebody
has died or, you know, a split up in a
marriage or whatever, because part of that relationship is changing.
So you have to be prepared to go through a
(10:38):
whole grief process. Um, and that was even when I
flew over to Melbourne. I was thinking, oh, you know,
how's Jan going to feel and all this sort of stuff.
And I guess in my head I thought, oh, they'll
just get on so super well together and they'll be
playing with each other. And when I brought Jan home
(11:00):
from getting off the plane and were doing the introductions
with them each. Well, Jan was territorial. She was being
very dominant to Inca and doing all the dominant sort of, um,
things to her. And so we had to do some
reverse dog psychology with the dog trainer. And it's actually
(11:24):
taken three months for the two dogs to finally just
get on with each other. Inka was always wanting to
play because she's young and a pup. Um, but Jean
was really not having a bar to do with her
at all for a while. So that was hard as well.
And in that time, I was trying to sort of
say to the dogs, look, I've got two hands, two dogs,
(11:46):
two lots of love, and you're trying to pat and
made sure she had her bed and everything in its place,
but it still, each time you walked out that gate,
she's saying, oh, I want to come. And I got
to stay behind. Yeah. So even that process keeping the
dog is still hard because the whole just dynamics have changed.
(12:06):
But I'm glad to say that it's all good. I
can just say no. You're staying here now. And she's
just like, yep, no worries, that's fine. And her and
Inga can play nicely together now, so it's really turned
out good in the end.
S1 (12:19):
Their relationship has kind of worked itself out.
S2 (12:22):
Yes. It's just. I think it's just time. Yeah, and
I've heard that other dogs actually get on well and
are happy just to, to retire. I think Jean, because
she was very emotionally attached. She had anxiety whenever even now,
if I close the bedroom door she'll sit and whine outside.
So she had a bit of anxiety and I think
(12:43):
that made the situation worse. Whereas I guess a lot
of dogs don't have that anxiety. But she's definitely settled
down now, so all is well.
S1 (12:51):
Oh, good. Good. And and I guess as the time
kind of goes on, it'll be a lot more natural
and normal. And as she continues to kind of ease
into it, she'll be really happy to stay home.
S2 (13:02):
Yes. Yeah. Because she's definitely slowing down a lot more
now even when they're playing. Inga will go off running
after the rope or whatever I've thrown for them, and
John will just wait for her to come back, and
then she'll try and play. Tug of war and join in.
She's like, I'm not doing that running. I'm getting a
bit beyond that now.
S1 (13:19):
So that's too much for me.
S2 (13:21):
Yeah, it's too much, yeah. Small small.
S1 (13:23):
Dog.
S2 (13:24):
So, um, yeah, she's conserving her energy somewhat now. And
ink is still running around like a, you know, you know,
a young dog, which is great. Yeah.
S1 (13:34):
I guess that really makes sense as well when it
comes to, you know, you starting to think, okay, well,
it's it's time to retire. You know, as John gets
older and slower, as much as you want to tailor
your life around it, it I assume it would be
quite hard to kind of for her to keep doing
her job as well.
S2 (13:50):
That's one thing I really noticed. Initially I thought, no,
she's not ready for retirement, as we all do, but
as I said, which actually wasn't until afterwards that I
realized this, that if you have to start changing your
daily routines because of the dog, well, then that's when
it's time to retire it. And I did find I
(14:13):
wasn't able to do my normal morning walks up around
the park. Um, because she would, well, not so much
get tired. But as they get older, they need to
go to the toilet all the time. So I was
forever taking the harness off and letting it have a
little wee, and then putting it back on and walking
for another ten minutes and taking the harness off. So
that just became too much of an interruption, so I
(14:35):
didn't bother. And then when I was at the big
shopping centres, she would almost it was like I had
to guide her. And then when we got to a
coffee shop, um, she would just lay down flat and like,
have to sleep for half an hour. So the mental
capacity becomes too overwhelming for them. And that's one thing
(14:56):
I noticed. Even my friends were saying, oh, she has
really slowed down. It's like, oh, she doesn't really quite
know where to go or what she's looking for now.
So that's when you really know it's time, when you
can't go out doing the same things you did before. Yeah.
S1 (15:12):
So now you have Miss Inker. I assume you've kind
of tried to get back to some of those things
as well.
S2 (15:18):
Yeah. So no, she's great. So I'm I'm back, uh,
doing my morning walks around the, um, our local park,
which is great. And she doesn't stop at all. Um,
and actually, I could never take Gian down to the
pool because she was so water fixed that she would
just win over the pool. So now I can take
(15:41):
Inka because she actually doesn't like water. We've tried, and
she won't go in it, which is great for me. Yeah,
she just won't go in it. So I can now
take Inka to the pool. And whereas when I had Gian,
I couldn't take it to the pool. And if I
want to go somewhere afterwards, I wasn't able to go
because I didn't have her. So now, if I want
to go somewhere after the pool, um, you know, ink
(16:04):
is ready to go. And with the big shopping centers
and everything, she is just switched on and knows how
to find the places and does her job. Um. And
she's just. Yeah. Does her work incredibly well, so it's
really good.
S1 (16:20):
So do you have any kind of particular, I guess,
favorite outings that you've done so far together?
S2 (16:25):
Actually, not long after I got here, so I hit
the ground running. So she landed in Perth and, uh,
two weeks full on training every day. And then, um,
it was only about three days after that. It was
the Easter weekend. And then over here there's a place
called Kalbarri, which is I think it's maybe about 400km,
(16:47):
sort of up north. My brother lived there, so we
went up there for Easter. So again, just come over
from Melbourne, hit Perth, did this and now we're driving,
you know, eight hours up to Kalbarri. Wow. And um,
we went out to this beautiful gorge lookout that when
you go down it's all big natural rocks with steps
and things. And normally I'd think, oh, I'm not going
(17:10):
down that, But I just said to Inga. Okay, find
a way. And she very carefully sort of stone by stone,
led me all the way down to this lookout. So
the family had look around down there, and then we
had to climb all the way back up. And they said, well,
how are you going to get back up? I said,
I'm just going to trust the dog. And so I
just said, okay, find a way. And she would land
(17:33):
on a big rock and then like, touch me with
her nose. I can't stand on that. And then she'd
find the next rock. And yeah, it took us maybe
about 15 minutes to climb this sort of rock stairway
back up. Wow. But she did it, and she was looking.
Where's the right place that we're both going to fit
on these rocks? And so that was very impressive. Um,
(17:54):
for me. So that was great. Yeah.
S1 (17:58):
It's definitely not your standard guiding environment that, um, that
the instructors teach in, you know, early stages of training
in Melbourne.
S2 (18:05):
No, no, she. That would be totally left. Yeah, that's
I don't think she would even have that environment anywhere
over there. Um, because we're talking about, like, gorges and
the big granite rocks and things and, um, yeah, she
she did her job really well, and that was completely
new for her. So it was great. And I love
(18:26):
going to the beach with her even though she doesn't swim.
She loves the beach and, um. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh,
we've done some training there with recall, um, to check
on that. And that's lots of fun when I take
her to the beach as well. So. Yeah.
S1 (18:44):
So are there any particular plants that you have for
your future together?
S2 (18:50):
Well, I just really are happy that I can take
her to all the places, like swimming and, um, stuff, so. No,
I think it's just really about getting out and about, um,
I would love to eventually get into, say, motivational No
(19:10):
speaking or helping others in some capacity and I hope,
like John, was by my side. I want to be
there because having a dog, no matter what sort, but
especially a working dog, is such a cool card that
people will just start chatting to you. And so they
(19:32):
give that safe environment. And so I'm hoping if I
got into helping people by either talking in small groups
or big groups, the dog is just a very calming
attribute and I think helps them open their heart space
up a bit. So I'm hoping Inga will travel with
(19:53):
me on this journey when it opens up one day. And, uh,
we'll be helping people get inspired and get uplifted between
the two of us.
S1 (20:02):
And, you know, even just like you said, the kind
of conversation starter, like people do feel a lot at ease,
you know, especially with some of the harder conversations.
S2 (20:10):
Oh, exactly. Yeah. The the dog is just a good icebreaker,
and it's their eyes. I've even at the gym, you know,
some big, um, very muscly, tattooed men have. Where you think, oh, okay.
I wouldn't like to, you know, come across them, but
they're just. Oh, what a beautiful dog. Oh, her eyes
(20:33):
are so gorgeous. And they'll just start talking about their
dog or whatever. And and even elderly people will always say, oh,
I had a dog once. Oh, she's just beautiful. And
just start a conversation. Um, and when I had Gene
working in the high school again in a classroom that had,
you know, the year nine and ten boys, sometimes there's
(20:54):
a few kind of ratbag ones in there that have
got to prove they're, you know, um, leadership. And they
would just come right down and sort of say, look,
you got to be quiet. Mrs. Ashby's here with, you know, Gene,
don't scare the dog. Come on. Like be quiet. And
that always sort of say, you want me to open
the door, miss? So the dog just changes people's whole outlook. And, um,
(21:20):
it is a really nice segue into, uh, getting people
to open up, open up that heart space a bit.
So I think Inka will be good at doing that.
S1 (21:31):
And I guess for you, what are the you know,
what is kind of the difference that she makes in
your life? Well so far.
S2 (21:39):
Well, she is also just so, like, just beautiful. And
she's always there and she nuzzles she's got this sort
of nuzzling thing that she does. And, um, you know,
it's just the, the energy of the dogs. And when
you're out in the big shopping centers, you just feel
confident because they're there by your side. My friends always say,
(22:03):
you know, like everybody is just watching you and the dog,
which you of course, don't see. And but For one,
people like watch because it's not very often you see
working dogs, but for me, all that just doesn't exist
because I've got ink by my side and she's a companion.
(22:23):
And whether you go to a coffee shop then or
you're doing shopping while she's there, I have all the
confidence in the world and I don't care about anybody else.
That's like looking on. Uh, but I think if you
were to go back to the cane, which doesn't guide you,
and it's just crap, once you've had a dog, you're
more aware of all the outside, um, eyes looking on
(22:48):
and sort of people. But the dog that takes all
that away. So, yeah.
S1 (22:58):
Is there anything else that you would like to share
about your life as a handler or about income?
S2 (23:03):
I think all dogs are completely different. And so when
you're getting a new dog, You know, most of it
is you're going to expect it to be like the
old one. But they, like humans, all have their own
personalities and their little quirky ways, and she certainly does
have that. Um, and I think you just have to
(23:26):
be open and willing to get to understand and know
your new dog. Um, and as a handler, it's one important,
you know, it's great. People will ask, oh, can I
pet the dog or, um, you know, can I let
(23:47):
my child, you know, come over and say hello and
I'll say, no, sorry. She's working. Um, and it's from
a handlers point of view to that outside interruption can
sometimes get very frustrating, especially when people will just come
up and try and touch the dog or, you know, like,
(24:09):
try distracting it and you just gotta, I guess, become
understanding that not everybody knows what to do with a
working dog. But hopefully you can get that conversation going
or otherwise. You have to stand your ground and say, look, sorry,
just gotta stay away from the dog. She's doing her job.
It's she's not here as a pet. Um, and that
(24:30):
can get a bit tough sometimes as well. But, um,
generally most people are pretty good. So. And to any
other handlers, it's like, you know, you'll have good days
and bad days, but the good days basically outweigh the
ones that don't always go so smoothly. So and always
end on a good note. You know, with the dog,
(24:51):
give it a reward, find something positive and reward them
for it.
S1 (24:56):
So ended with a cuddle or a play.
S2 (24:58):
Oh yeah. All the time. Yeah. I mean, I think, um,
you got to have as much play time to me
as you do work time. So I know when I
come home from with Inca, from being out somewhere. The
first thing I'll do is, you know, well, John will
be there. And the other dogs, I'll get a bit
of her toy rope, throw it around for her to
get that working environment out of her and, you know,
(25:22):
do a bit of fun play stuff. And, um, even
if it's only for a few minutes, just so they know, okay,
it's not all work, but you've done a great job
and let's have some fun time together. And then she's
ready to relax and just unwind. So definitely got to
have the play in there.
S1 (25:39):
And I'm sure that really helps that bond too. You
know you kind of she she knows that you're on
her team and that you guys are both, you know, friends.
It's not kind of like work and all business. And
then you go home into your separate bedrooms. It's like,
you know, we're a team and a companion and.
S2 (25:53):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. Because otherwise, you know, what's the
old saying? All work and no play makes Jack a
dull boy. And, you know, they've done a good job
working for you. And then if you know, the dog
needs to know, well, okay, it's my time now. And
if she goes picking up a toy or something, you
got to spend the time to interact to how they
want to interact, to know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm on
(26:15):
your team, buddy. We're here through thick and thin. You
do a good job working and, well, we'll go out
and have some fun now, or we'll go out for
a free walk altogether this afternoon. And, um, which we're
lucky up here, there's a lot of free space out
in the bush with tracks. So my husband and I
go out in the afternoon. All three dogs go out
running together off lead. So that's really good too. But yeah, definitely. It's, uh,
(26:40):
work life balance with the dog. Yeah.
S1 (26:44):
So how amazing. Well, thank you so much for coming
on the show again, Colleen, and sharing your story. And
I'm wishing you an, uh, Miss Inca, uh, many very
happy years of partnership.
S2 (26:56):
Thank you. Harriet and I love to be on your show,
and hopefully I'll come back on soon.
S1 (27:01):
Thank you. You've been listening to the Seeing Eye dog
show on Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my
interview with Colleen Ashby, talking about her new seeing eye dog, Inga,
and about that transition process. If you'd like to find
those previous interviews where Colleen has joined me, they are
(27:22):
available on your preferred podcast platform or our Omni FM.
If you'd like to find out about seeing Eye Dogs,
the work we do, how you can help, or becoming
a handler, head to our website at. If you are
interested in becoming a seeing handler and you're blind or
have low vision, please email us at info at. To
(27:46):
discuss dog guide, mobility eligibility or assessment. If you are
wanting to chat with your instructor about retiring your dog
and beginning that transition process or reapplying. Feel free to
email us as well at that email or chat to
your instructor. Thank you for listening and I hope you
have a lovely week.
On Vision Australia radio. You're listening to the synodic show
with me, your host, Harriet Moffatt. Today I have Colleen
Ashby back on the show. Colleen is a Perth woman
seeing eye dogs, handler, participant in the World Transplant Games
and author of book You Gotta Laugh, which we have
discussed on this show before. Colleen has been working with
Seeing Erosion and has retired the lovely Gene and transitioned
(00:43):
to a new Seeing eye dog. So we're going to
be talking a bit about Colleen and Incas new partnership,
as well as that transition and retirement process and Colleen's
life and her story. If you would like to hear
some of the previous episodes, they are available on your
preferred podcast provider or our Omni FM page. But for now,
(01:03):
I hope you enjoy my new interview with Colleen Ashby
talking about her new partnership. Hi, Colleen. Thank you for
joining me on the show today.
S2 (01:17):
Thank you for having me. I'm glad to be here.
S3 (01:20):
So you're you're back and you have been on the
show before. But for those people that may not remember
your first interview, could you please introduce yourself?
S2 (01:28):
So I'm Colleen Ashby and I live in Perth or
in Lesmurdie up in the beautiful hills, and I initially
had my first seeing eye dog, Jan, and I've now
progressed onto my new seeing eye dog, Inka, and we've
been paired up for months. And last time I was
(01:48):
on the show, it was about my books that I
had written. So I'm glad to be back.
S3 (01:54):
And are you also still a swimmer?
S2 (01:56):
Yes. Um, I had competed, I think last time I
was on the show I hadn't been to them, but
I finished up competing, uh, because I lost my sight
from a heart transplant. And I competed in the World
Transplant Games here in Perth in 23 and brought home
a gold, silver and bronze.
S1 (02:18):
Wow. Congratulations.
S2 (02:19):
Thank you. But since I've had a few shoulder injuries,
to say the least, I won't go into them. But, uh,
last year, and for nearly last year, I was in
a sling between my left and right shoulder or arm
for over five months. So I'm just getting back into
the gym and getting myself starting to swim a bit now.
(02:44):
But I do tandem riding as well, so I'm getting
myself bike fit to get back to all that stuff
as well.
S1 (02:51):
Oh well, good luck with the rehab. It sounds like
tandem is probably a pretty good cross training for some
parts of the cardio, but yeah, good luck with that
rehab ahead.
S2 (03:00):
Yeah. Thank you. No, it's going well. So. Yep. Just
onwards and upwards now.
S1 (03:05):
It's it's a journey isn't it? Uh, a few setbacks
and you keep getting back on the horses, so to speak.
S2 (03:11):
That's it. Life is definitely not a destination. It's the
journey along the way that we have to be present in. Yeah.
S4 (03:19):
So could you please tell us a bit about.
S1 (03:21):
Your new Seeing Eye dog?
S2 (03:23):
Yes. So, uh, Inka is, uh, she was two when
I just got her over in Melbourne, uh, beginning of April,
and we've been paired up, I think, uh, about four
months now. And she is just gorgeous. She's a little
pocket rocket, a tiny little black female lab. And, yeah,
(03:46):
our matching process has just gone so smoothly. It's unbelievable.
Mind you, I had the same with Jan. We just
paired up beautifully well together, which I know doesn't always happen,
but luckily for me, it has. And right now, she's
actually getting very used to me going into the gym.
(04:06):
And she takes me around to the different weight machines
that I use and then to the bike for fitness.
So everybody at the gym is starting to know her.
They don't touch her, which is very good. Yeah, great.
And she's now when I go to the pool, she's
learning to sort of like, just wait while I'm in
(04:27):
the pool, she can still see me, so that's good. And, um,
she's doing her job there, so I'm very happy about that. Yeah.
S1 (04:36):
And what made you decide to go to Melbourne to
train with her? Did you do that with Sian as well?
S2 (04:42):
Yeah. So I went to Melbourne to get Sian. Uh, well,
I wanted the experience, but we also had a little
pet dog as well. And I think going to Melbourne,
when you've got family at home and other pets to
really bond with your new companion, you kind of need
that one on one. And it's a really informative training
(05:08):
program that's quite intense, but great. Um, you might still
get that with the trainer in your state, but I
think Melbourne just really knows how to do it superbly well.
And so this time I wanted to go over there because, again,
I've still got family in the house, had grown up. Well,
they're adult children. Uh, but then I'd have two dogs
(05:31):
and also trying to work out with Jan with her
not going out. Yeah. Um, I had to bond with
Inca by myself, so I went back to Melbourne to
get her.
S1 (05:45):
Yeah, that makes sense. And I guess, you know, with
Jan and the other dog, you know, you don't want
to compete for their attention either.
S2 (05:52):
No. That's right. And they'd be wanting my attention like
they've always had. And now I'd be having to be
more focused on Inca. So I think going to Kensington
is just a great way of that intense matching process.
And it's a lovely centre. I love going over to Melbourne.
S1 (06:12):
And hopefully you hopefully you enjoyed some, you know, coffee
and cafes and restaurants and stuff as well when you're over.
S2 (06:18):
To say the least. Yeah. Um, let's face it, when
you've got a seeing eye dog and you're training, it's
all about the coffee and cake, of course. Um, and
for me, Melbourne is like a little, um, holiday and
tourist thing going into Melbourne and on the trams, which
we don't have. Well, I don't think a lot of
places have them. And just the, you know, the nice
(06:39):
hype of Melbourne and North Melbourne and the markets and everything,
it's like, you know, playing tourists there as well. So
I had a fantastic time both times.
S1 (06:48):
I love.
S2 (06:48):
It.
S1 (06:50):
And it's a very nice thing, I guess, to kind
of celebrate the end of your holiday and going back with,
you know, with your new dog as well, like you're
settling back in, but, you know, it's um, yeah, probably
quite nice to have that bond as well.
S2 (07:02):
Yeah. Yeah. I think if to have a dog brought
over here and trying to initially bond with it, with
the other things going on in the house, it would
be a much harder process. So, um, no, it's a
really well, the way the program runs. And then, of course,
(07:23):
when I flew back, Matt, the dog trainer, picked us
up from the airport. And that afternoon we started training
after we had to do all the introductions of the
old pet dog and then John. So that process actually
took a couple of hours. Um, and then we went
straight up into Kalamunda and started introducing her to the,
(07:43):
the new scents and smells up in the hills over
the other side of Australia. So, um, and that happened
for the next two weeks. We just every day did training.
So it was just full on.
S1 (07:55):
Which.
S2 (07:55):
Was great.
S1 (07:56):
Yeah.
S2 (07:57):
So had a month of intense training. Yeah, yeah.
S1 (08:00):
And I guess that really contributes to your feeling of
like the match kind of making sense and working. You know,
it's like you really have had that time to kind
of get to know each other just as quick as possible.
S2 (08:11):
Yeah. That's right. So over in Melbourne, which I think
is more familiar for Inca with the smells and everything, um,
it was a great bonding time. And because then that
environment is new to me. And then, of course, she
has to come over here to Perth, which all the
smells and just the whole way things are, it's a
bit slower over here, especially up in the hills, is
(08:32):
was all different for her. And by the end of
the month I think we were really just knitted together.
S1 (08:39):
Well how nice.
S2 (08:41):
Yeah. Yeah. So it was great.
S4 (08:44):
So you've still got John.
S1 (08:45):
Is there anything that you would like to share about
her retirement, or even just the kind of transition that
you've had together?
S2 (08:51):
Yes. So when the dog trainer here said, well, you know,
John's eight. Uh, we'll start checking every six months and
we'll have to start talking about the R word retirement.
That was like, oh, but the dog, you know, I'm
not ready yet. You know, she's still working fine. And
I remember we were up in Kalamunda and done some
(09:13):
work around our little sort of city up here or
town centre. We're having a coffee, and he was going
over the paperwork and I was just crying. I couldn't
even think about the process of letting Jan go. And
I was like, like crying outside his coffee shop. And
even then, for the next six months, whenever I was
talking to my friends about, oh, I've got to retire, Jan,
(09:34):
I couldn't do it without bursting into tears and, and,
you know, so it's very emotional because you've been bonded
for so long. Yeah. And then thinking, oh, there's a
lot of guilt associated with retiring a dog. You feel
like you're like, oh, I'm going to, um, doing the
wrong thing by them and like, you're leaving them behind
(09:54):
and and like, oh, how can you do that and everything.
So and guilt is just a very common part of
the process. So it's unique to everybody. It's not unique
at all. Um, and it's also a grieving process. So, um,
because you've been so bonded even though you might like.
I was lucky I've got to keep Jan. I know
(10:16):
there's a lot of people that can't keep their retired dogs,
and so it is a grief. And you have to
go through all those things that you would if somebody
has died or, you know, a split up in a
marriage or whatever, because part of that relationship is changing.
So you have to be prepared to go through a
(10:38):
whole grief process. Um, and that was even when I
flew over to Melbourne. I was thinking, oh, you know,
how's Jan going to feel and all this sort of stuff.
And I guess in my head I thought, oh, they'll
just get on so super well together and they'll be
playing with each other. And when I brought Jan home
(11:00):
from getting off the plane and were doing the introductions
with them each. Well, Jan was territorial. She was being
very dominant to Inca and doing all the dominant sort of, um,
things to her. And so we had to do some
reverse dog psychology with the dog trainer. And it's actually
(11:24):
taken three months for the two dogs to finally just
get on with each other. Inka was always wanting to
play because she's young and a pup. Um, but Jean
was really not having a bar to do with her
at all for a while. So that was hard as well.
And in that time, I was trying to sort of
say to the dogs, look, I've got two hands, two dogs,
(11:46):
two lots of love, and you're trying to pat and
made sure she had her bed and everything in its place,
but it still, each time you walked out that gate,
she's saying, oh, I want to come. And I got
to stay behind. Yeah. So even that process keeping the
dog is still hard because the whole just dynamics have changed.
(12:06):
But I'm glad to say that it's all good. I
can just say no. You're staying here now. And she's
just like, yep, no worries, that's fine. And her and
Inga can play nicely together now, so it's really turned
out good in the end.
S1 (12:19):
Their relationship has kind of worked itself out.
S2 (12:22):
Yes. It's just. I think it's just time. Yeah, and
I've heard that other dogs actually get on well and
are happy just to, to retire. I think Jean, because
she was very emotionally attached. She had anxiety whenever even now,
if I close the bedroom door she'll sit and whine outside.
So she had a bit of anxiety and I think
(12:43):
that made the situation worse. Whereas I guess a lot
of dogs don't have that anxiety. But she's definitely settled
down now, so all is well.
S1 (12:51):
Oh, good. Good. And and I guess as the time
kind of goes on, it'll be a lot more natural
and normal. And as she continues to kind of ease
into it, she'll be really happy to stay home.
S2 (13:02):
Yes. Yeah. Because she's definitely slowing down a lot more
now even when they're playing. Inga will go off running
after the rope or whatever I've thrown for them, and
John will just wait for her to come back, and
then she'll try and play. Tug of war and join in.
She's like, I'm not doing that running. I'm getting a
bit beyond that now.
S1 (13:19):
So that's too much for me.
S2 (13:21):
Yeah, it's too much, yeah. Small small.
S1 (13:23):
Dog.
S2 (13:24):
So, um, yeah, she's conserving her energy somewhat now. And
ink is still running around like a, you know, you know,
a young dog, which is great. Yeah.
S1 (13:34):
I guess that really makes sense as well when it
comes to, you know, you starting to think, okay, well,
it's it's time to retire. You know, as John gets
older and slower, as much as you want to tailor
your life around it, it I assume it would be
quite hard to kind of for her to keep doing
her job as well.
S2 (13:50):
That's one thing I really noticed. Initially I thought, no,
she's not ready for retirement, as we all do, but
as I said, which actually wasn't until afterwards that I
realized this, that if you have to start changing your
daily routines because of the dog, well, then that's when
it's time to retire it. And I did find I
(14:13):
wasn't able to do my normal morning walks up around
the park. Um, because she would, well, not so much
get tired. But as they get older, they need to
go to the toilet all the time. So I was
forever taking the harness off and letting it have a
little wee, and then putting it back on and walking
for another ten minutes and taking the harness off. So
that just became too much of an interruption, so I
(14:35):
didn't bother. And then when I was at the big
shopping centres, she would almost it was like I had
to guide her. And then when we got to a
coffee shop, um, she would just lay down flat and like,
have to sleep for half an hour. So the mental
capacity becomes too overwhelming for them. And that's one thing
(14:56):
I noticed. Even my friends were saying, oh, she has
really slowed down. It's like, oh, she doesn't really quite
know where to go or what she's looking for now.
So that's when you really know it's time, when you
can't go out doing the same things you did before. Yeah.
S1 (15:12):
So now you have Miss Inker. I assume you've kind
of tried to get back to some of those things
as well.
S2 (15:18):
Yeah. So no, she's great. So I'm I'm back, uh,
doing my morning walks around the, um, our local park,
which is great. And she doesn't stop at all. Um,
and actually, I could never take Gian down to the
pool because she was so water fixed that she would
just win over the pool. So now I can take
(15:41):
Inka because she actually doesn't like water. We've tried, and
she won't go in it, which is great for me. Yeah,
she just won't go in it. So I can now
take Inka to the pool. And whereas when I had Gian,
I couldn't take it to the pool. And if I
want to go somewhere afterwards, I wasn't able to go
because I didn't have her. So now, if I want
to go somewhere after the pool, um, you know, ink
(16:04):
is ready to go. And with the big shopping centers
and everything, she is just switched on and knows how
to find the places and does her job. Um. And
she's just. Yeah. Does her work incredibly well, so it's
really good.
S1 (16:20):
So do you have any kind of particular, I guess,
favorite outings that you've done so far together?
S2 (16:25):
Actually, not long after I got here, so I hit
the ground running. So she landed in Perth and, uh,
two weeks full on training every day. And then, um,
it was only about three days after that. It was
the Easter weekend. And then over here there's a place
called Kalbarri, which is I think it's maybe about 400km,
(16:47):
sort of up north. My brother lived there, so we
went up there for Easter. So again, just come over
from Melbourne, hit Perth, did this and now we're driving,
you know, eight hours up to Kalbarri. Wow. And um,
we went out to this beautiful gorge lookout that when
you go down it's all big natural rocks with steps
and things. And normally I'd think, oh, I'm not going
(17:10):
down that, But I just said to Inga. Okay, find
a way. And she very carefully sort of stone by stone,
led me all the way down to this lookout. So
the family had look around down there, and then we
had to climb all the way back up. And they said, well,
how are you going to get back up? I said,
I'm just going to trust the dog. And so I
just said, okay, find a way. And she would land
(17:33):
on a big rock and then like, touch me with
her nose. I can't stand on that. And then she'd
find the next rock. And yeah, it took us maybe
about 15 minutes to climb this sort of rock stairway
back up. Wow. But she did it, and she was looking.
Where's the right place that we're both going to fit
on these rocks? And so that was very impressive. Um,
(17:54):
for me. So that was great. Yeah.
S1 (17:58):
It's definitely not your standard guiding environment that, um, that
the instructors teach in, you know, early stages of training
in Melbourne.
S2 (18:05):
No, no, she. That would be totally left. Yeah, that's
I don't think she would even have that environment anywhere
over there. Um, because we're talking about, like, gorges and
the big granite rocks and things and, um, yeah, she
she did her job really well, and that was completely
new for her. So it was great. And I love
(18:26):
going to the beach with her even though she doesn't swim.
She loves the beach and, um. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh,
we've done some training there with recall, um, to check
on that. And that's lots of fun when I take
her to the beach as well. So. Yeah.
S1 (18:44):
So are there any particular plants that you have for
your future together?
S2 (18:50):
Well, I just really are happy that I can take
her to all the places, like swimming and, um, stuff, so. No,
I think it's just really about getting out and about, um,
I would love to eventually get into, say, motivational No
(19:10):
speaking or helping others in some capacity and I hope,
like John, was by my side. I want to be
there because having a dog, no matter what sort, but
especially a working dog, is such a cool card that
people will just start chatting to you. And so they
(19:32):
give that safe environment. And so I'm hoping if I
got into helping people by either talking in small groups
or big groups, the dog is just a very calming
attribute and I think helps them open their heart space
up a bit. So I'm hoping Inga will travel with
(19:53):
me on this journey when it opens up one day. And, uh,
we'll be helping people get inspired and get uplifted between
the two of us.
S1 (20:02):
And, you know, even just like you said, the kind
of conversation starter, like people do feel a lot at ease,
you know, especially with some of the harder conversations.
S2 (20:10):
Oh, exactly. Yeah. The the dog is just a good icebreaker,
and it's their eyes. I've even at the gym, you know,
some big, um, very muscly, tattooed men have. Where you think, oh, okay.
I wouldn't like to, you know, come across them, but
they're just. Oh, what a beautiful dog. Oh, her eyes
(20:33):
are so gorgeous. And they'll just start talking about their
dog or whatever. And and even elderly people will always say, oh,
I had a dog once. Oh, she's just beautiful. And
just start a conversation. Um, and when I had Gene
working in the high school again in a classroom that had,
you know, the year nine and ten boys, sometimes there's
(20:54):
a few kind of ratbag ones in there that have
got to prove they're, you know, um, leadership. And they
would just come right down and sort of say, look,
you got to be quiet. Mrs. Ashby's here with, you know, Gene,
don't scare the dog. Come on. Like be quiet. And
that always sort of say, you want me to open
the door, miss? So the dog just changes people's whole outlook. And, um,
(21:20):
it is a really nice segue into, uh, getting people
to open up, open up that heart space a bit.
So I think Inka will be good at doing that.
S1 (21:31):
And I guess for you, what are the you know,
what is kind of the difference that she makes in
your life? Well so far.
S2 (21:39):
Well, she is also just so, like, just beautiful. And
she's always there and she nuzzles she's got this sort
of nuzzling thing that she does. And, um, you know,
it's just the, the energy of the dogs. And when
you're out in the big shopping centers, you just feel
confident because they're there by your side. My friends always say,
(22:03):
you know, like everybody is just watching you and the dog,
which you of course, don't see. And but For one,
people like watch because it's not very often you see
working dogs, but for me, all that just doesn't exist
because I've got ink by my side and she's a companion.
(22:23):
And whether you go to a coffee shop then or
you're doing shopping while she's there, I have all the
confidence in the world and I don't care about anybody else.
That's like looking on. Uh, but I think if you
were to go back to the cane, which doesn't guide you,
and it's just crap, once you've had a dog, you're
more aware of all the outside, um, eyes looking on
(22:48):
and sort of people. But the dog that takes all
that away. So, yeah.
S1 (22:58):
Is there anything else that you would like to share
about your life as a handler or about income?
S2 (23:03):
I think all dogs are completely different. And so when
you're getting a new dog, You know, most of it
is you're going to expect it to be like the
old one. But they, like humans, all have their own
personalities and their little quirky ways, and she certainly does
have that. Um, and I think you just have to
(23:26):
be open and willing to get to understand and know
your new dog. Um, and as a handler, it's one important,
you know, it's great. People will ask, oh, can I
pet the dog or, um, you know, can I let
(23:47):
my child, you know, come over and say hello and
I'll say, no, sorry. She's working. Um, and it's from
a handlers point of view to that outside interruption can
sometimes get very frustrating, especially when people will just come
up and try and touch the dog or, you know, like,
(24:09):
try distracting it and you just gotta, I guess, become
understanding that not everybody knows what to do with a
working dog. But hopefully you can get that conversation going
or otherwise. You have to stand your ground and say, look, sorry,
just gotta stay away from the dog. She's doing her job.
It's she's not here as a pet. Um, and that
(24:30):
can get a bit tough sometimes as well. But, um,
generally most people are pretty good. So. And to any
other handlers, it's like, you know, you'll have good days
and bad days, but the good days basically outweigh the
ones that don't always go so smoothly. So and always
end on a good note. You know, with the dog,
(24:51):
give it a reward, find something positive and reward them
for it.
S1 (24:56):
So ended with a cuddle or a play.
S2 (24:58):
Oh yeah. All the time. Yeah. I mean, I think, um,
you got to have as much play time to me
as you do work time. So I know when I
come home from with Inca, from being out somewhere. The
first thing I'll do is, you know, well, John will
be there. And the other dogs, I'll get a bit
of her toy rope, throw it around for her to
get that working environment out of her and, you know,
(25:22):
do a bit of fun play stuff. And, um, even
if it's only for a few minutes, just so they know, okay,
it's not all work, but you've done a great job
and let's have some fun time together. And then she's
ready to relax and just unwind. So definitely got to
have the play in there.
S1 (25:39):
And I'm sure that really helps that bond too. You
know you kind of she she knows that you're on
her team and that you guys are both, you know, friends.
It's not kind of like work and all business. And
then you go home into your separate bedrooms. It's like,
you know, we're a team and a companion and.
S2 (25:53):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. Because otherwise, you know, what's the
old saying? All work and no play makes Jack a
dull boy. And, you know, they've done a good job
working for you. And then if you know, the dog
needs to know, well, okay, it's my time now. And
if she goes picking up a toy or something, you
got to spend the time to interact to how they
want to interact, to know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm on
(26:15):
your team, buddy. We're here through thick and thin. You
do a good job working and, well, we'll go out
and have some fun now, or we'll go out for
a free walk altogether this afternoon. And, um, which we're
lucky up here, there's a lot of free space out
in the bush with tracks. So my husband and I
go out in the afternoon. All three dogs go out
running together off lead. So that's really good too. But yeah, definitely. It's, uh,
(26:40):
work life balance with the dog. Yeah.
S1 (26:44):
So how amazing. Well, thank you so much for coming
on the show again, Colleen, and sharing your story. And
I'm wishing you an, uh, Miss Inca, uh, many very
happy years of partnership.
S2 (26:56):
Thank you. Harriet and I love to be on your show,
and hopefully I'll come back on soon.
S1 (27:01):
Thank you. You've been listening to the Seeing Eye dog
show on Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my
interview with Colleen Ashby, talking about her new seeing eye dog, Inga,
and about that transition process. If you'd like to find
those previous interviews where Colleen has joined me, they are
(27:22):
available on your preferred podcast platform or our Omni FM.
If you'd like to find out about seeing Eye Dogs,
the work we do, how you can help, or becoming
a handler, head to our website at. If you are
interested in becoming a seeing handler and you're blind or
have low vision, please email us at info at. To
(27:46):
discuss dog guide, mobility eligibility or assessment. If you are
wanting to chat with your instructor about retiring your dog
and beginning that transition process or reapplying. Feel free to
email us as well at that email or chat to
your instructor. Thank you for listening and I hope you
have a lovely week.
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