Why Do I Use a Cane and Not a Guide Dog?

“How long before I go blind?” I asked the doctor the summer after my freshman year in college.

“No one knows for sure,” he stated in a soft, gentle tone. “My guess, though, is you will have three to five years left to read, and maybe ten before totally going blind.”

One would think wondering whether I would use a cane, or a guide dog would have crossed my mind in the beginning.

It didn’t.

My mind was consumed with trying to decide whether or not I could read long enough to get my elementary special education degree. If I did, would I be able to teach.

I chose to continue my education and got ahold of the Kansas Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. They strongly recommended I take summer classes there after my sophomore year.

Cane Usage Begins

One of my many classes that summer included one on mobility training, where I learned the basic techniques of using a white cane, and one was sent home with me.

I utilized some of the techniques when walking to night classes. Other than that, I walked normal.

That is, if you call walking with your head down to avoid missing low-lying objects or bumping into doors and people normal.

No one ever said college students were smart.

Still, For the remainder of college, I only used my cane at night when venturing out with friends. This was because night blindness is a major symptom of Retinitis Pigmentosa, my eye disease.

There was no need to think about using a cane or a guide dog at that point.

Not much changed once on my own.

Getting around my house wasn’t an issue, but running errands was another story.

One day while shopping, a woman whizzing by about whacked my elbow off, spun around, and yelled accusingly at me. I believe she thought I jumped out in front of her just to hurt my own elbow. Cart rage?

My friend calmly suggested I carry my cane as a sign to ward off such predators, even though I didn’t want to use it for travel. A gal has to hold on to some pride as long as she can.

“Good idea,” I responded. Self-inflicted bruising at home is one thing, but prevention sounded much better than abuse. I took her advice.

Soon, I got tired of knocking the wind out of myself from unsuspecting curbs and potholes sneaking up on me. Ugh!

New surroundings were also becoming more confusing to identify what lay within.

Eventually, I caved in, and used my cane to investigate. It is pretty amazing what information you can learn from tapping your cane, hearing the sounds, and feeling textures.

If with others, I gladly grabbed their right elbow with my left hand but held tightly to my white cane with my right.

Scared? You bet.

Holding on to my cane kept me from hurting my guide’s feelings, while giving me added protection.

Decision-making Time

Thankfully, my cane usage was limited to special circumstances for many years.

Becoming a wife and mother in my thirties, I wanted to take care of my family – not them take care of me. Keeping independence as long as I could then, meant more to me than ever before.

It was time to choose which was best – cane or guide dog?

Truthfully, both tools work better in cities over small towns. I live in a small town where public transportation is a foreign concept, few curbs exist, and sidewalks resemble mountainous terrain made out of concrete. It’s almost impossible to use either one correctly.

The other thing is, it doesn’t matter which one I use, I’d still have to take someone with me when I shop or go to appointments.

Nonetheless, here are the advantages and disadvantages I considered.

Advantages of a Cane

• A cane is cheaper.
• You don’t have to take it for a walk – Oops, yes, you do.
• You don’t have to feed a cane, let it out to potty, or exercise it.
• Give it flea medicine, shots or take it to a vet.
• No emotional attachment
• Can fold up to tuck out of your way.

Guide dogs

• Keep you company when not working.
• Guard your house at all times.
• Keep you warm.
• Alert you to noises.
• Are better at knowing when it’s safe to cross the street.

Downsides:

• A cane won’t alert you to low hanging objects.
• When a dog dies, you go back to a cane.
• People want to touch working dogs.
• Canes can break and dogs can die.
• Canes aren’t known to people as warnings any more.

One day I went into a store with a friend. She stood in front of me, and placed my items on the counter. I heard a long silence before the rude cashier blurted, “Aren’t you going to pay for that?”

Puzzled, I waited for my friend to respond. After a long pause, she reached over and grabbed my cane. Lifting it up, she asked, “This?”

Evidently the cashier nodded because my friend then said, “This is her cane, she is blind.”

“Oh, I thought it was a mop.”

Maybe my white cane doesn’t alert as many people about my impairment as I had envisioned.

The Clincher

Even though I considered the positive and negatives of both, the decision ended up being made for me.

You see, my husband was allergic to dogs, and guide dog training meant being away from family for 30 days without any physical contact with my family. No visits. Phone only.

I had a baby and two teens to take care of. I couldn’t leave my husband to take care of them, work, clean, cook, and pay bills by himself. Even if I could make arrangements to leave my family that long, I couldn’t concentrate without seeing them every night, or on weekends.

They claim this helps the dog and the blind person bond better, but I just couldn’t do it. Maybe if circumstances had been different. Right now, I’m content with my cane and my sighted guides.

In all seriousness, where you live, what level of independence you desire, your support and health, and your age are all considerations if you or a loved one are facing this decision.

Vision Aware is a great resource to learn more on this and other topics. They even offer starter kits for the blind and visually impaired.

A cane vs. a guide dog is not the issue. It depends on the person’s needs and where they live, as well as what kind of support they have.

If you know someone with vision problems, you may also want to grab a copy of my E-book, “Simple Ways to Help the Blind and Visually Impaired.”

© 2023, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.