A degree of independence

Six-year-old golden retriever Katie has guided a Kendal woman through university and now they’re looking to the future

- Emily Rothery

Ella Wadsworth and her guide dog Katie, a sixyear-old golden retriever, are a perfect fit. ‘She’s my third time lucky dog,’ Ella says. ‘I was previously matched with two guide dogs, but it turned out that they weren’t quite suited to my needs. Katie is just right and has given me such confidence. She can be stubborn, like me, and can be quite cheeky but is so focused when she is working.’

Ella, who lives in Kendal, has just graduated and has gained a degree in Religious Studies from Lancaster University. Katie was with her for every step of the way and earned her cap and gown alongside her owner.

Graduating has been quite an achievement for Ella who has overcome difficult times and huge upheavals in her life. ‘I was born with a visual impairment called nystagmus which means the nerve at the back of the eye isn’t connected properly so everything I see wobbles. When I was 16, I had a brain tumour, totally unrelated to my existing condition, which left me with no vision in my right eye and only peripheral vision in my left,’ adds Ella.

‘At this point I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything and felt it would be an imposition to my friends to depend on them. That’s when I started to think about the possibility of getting a guide dog. I thought you had to be older to have a guide dog, but I guess I broke that stereotype.’