In the spring of 2019, veteran runner Tom Panek and his squad of seeing-eye dogs made history.
Panek did this on March 17 during the United Airlines New York City Half Marathon by becoming the first blind runner to finish a long-distance event led by guide dogs rather than human guides. His crew of three Labrador retrievers – Waffle, Westley, and Gus – helped him complete the race in less than 2.5 hours. Of course, not to be forgotten are the rest of his training team: Flint, Yukon, Lynx, and Fred – all Labrador retrievers specially trained as running guides from the age of 18 months.
Tom wanted to bring more attention to Guiding Eyes for the Blind, an organization he founded so that they could help give trained dogs to blind and visually impaired persons who really need them. Those in need of such amazing dogs can have them at no cost.
Panek lost his vision in his twenties owing to a hereditary disorder, and since then he has been completely unable to run. After a period of adjustment, his passion for running prevailed, and he began running with a human guide. He felt though that it was not the same as before.
His love for running stemmed from the feeling of working hard to run his own race. When he had to work with another individual so he could run, he believes that the race is no longer his own. He feels like his independence is taken away.
Panek assembled a group of skilled dog trainers to train a pack of dogs, predominantly Labrador retrievers and German shepherds, to become running guide dogs. In addition to mastering the ability to protect their owners from hazards, they had to be excellent runners with a great amount of stamina.
Source: CBS News
