CHARLIE AND JENNY

Hi, my name is Charlie, and I’m 15 years old. I have one brother named Dan and a sister named Tessa. I am the youngest in my family and I’m a little different. I am blind. I have been blind since I was a baby, so it’s normal for me, but my mum and dad do worry about me sometimes. I used to go to school with my brother and sister, but now they are both at university. My parents used to worry about how I could go to school alone, but two years ago, I got Buster. Buster is my best friend and looks out for me. He helps me to go everywhere, to get to school, to meet my friends and even to go for a walk in the park. Buster is a little different from my usual friends. He has four legs and a tail. He is my guide dog. He can do so many things to make my life easier. He can take me across busy roads and knows to wait at the traffic lights until I hear the loud beeping sound that tells me it’s safe to cross. He walks slowly in front of me and can avoid any obstacle on the path or at school. He can lie quietly in class while I am learning. All my friends love him, but not as much as I do!

Hello, my name is Jenny, and I would like you to meet my dog, Princess. She is my little helper because she does lots of things for me. I can’t walk, and I use a wheelchair, so when I need any help around the house, Princess comes to the rescue. She can open and close the doors around my home. If I ask her to get something for me, I just say, ‘Fetch it’, and she brings whatever I asked for. She even brings me the telephone when it rings. She can turn the lights on and off, and if I need help from my mum or dad, Princess will go and bark at them, so they know they should come to me. Before I had Princess, someone had to do these things for me, and I didn’t like it. Now, I feel more like my friends, and I’m able to do anything I want. My mum and dad always used to worry about me and always had to be around me. Now, they don’t worry so much, so they let me do more things for myself. Princess has been with me for four years, and she is always by my side. When we go out together, she walks slowly next to me and is always ready to help. I can’t imagine life without her!