Regal

Becky and Regal

This is about my first guide dog, Regal. We were together for a little over two years, and he was the best friend a blind girl could have. Unfortunately, certain events changed that. It was three years ago, and I was a junior at Edinboro University. It was after class and I was taking Regal to the bathroom. When he'd finished, we walked back to the dorms. We got as far as the main street on campus, and the dorms were on the other side. I didn't hear anything, and Regal didn't see anything coming, so I said "Forward," and we walked. Almost at that instant, a car came. It hit a patch of black ice and spun toward us. The car would have hit me, but Regal crossed over in front of me so that his head was in front of my right leg. Thankfully the car wasn't going real fast, otherwise Regal, and possibly myself, would have gotten flattened. After that scare I got a ride to the vet. After a once-over and an X-ray, the vet said that nothing was broken, however Regal's hip was bruised. He told me that I wasn't allowed to use Regal as a guide at all for three days, and he should only be used for light work for two weeks before he would be fully recovered. I had noticed that, since then, when we worked together Regal was traumatized by the incident. He was more hesitant, and got very upset when we got near a crosswalk. By late May I could tell that Regal didn't want to lead anymore, and even his usually waggy tail was down. Despite that, we managed to finish the school semester together. After that we went to my grandmother's house. Again, Regal showed that he didn't want to lead; instead he'd follow Grandma around. He had showed a distinct preference to being a pet and not a service dog. Around mid-June a field representative from Guiding Eyes came to see us, and after hearing the story she took Regal away to see if he could be re-trained. A little over a week later I was contacted by Guiding Eyes and told what I didn't want to hear: that Regal needed to retire. Because we were together for two years, and I still loved him so much, I wanted to keep Regal with me. Unfortunately my mother said no, and no one else in my family could take him. I was so sure that Regal would have made a great playmate for me and my new guide dog, Ceil. The last time I heard, Regal is still living with his new owner who loves him and spoils him rotten. I continue to show my love for Regal by sending him Christmas and Birthday bones, which I'm sure he still enjoys. I'll always remember and love Regal, my guide, my friend, and my guardian angel.