My Life with Peat: An Inspiring Interview on RNIB Connect Radio

We're proud to share a powerful interview featuring our Training and Participation Programme Manager, John and his amazing guide dog, Peat.

John recently spoke with RNIB Connect Radio, openly discussing the process of obtaining a guide dog and the profound impact Peanut has had on his life. He shares compelling moments where Peanut's instincts have gone beyond guidance, bravely saving his life on several occasions!

This interview illustrates the vital bond and extraordinary trust between a guide dog and their handler. It's a testament to the independence and safety these incredible companions provide.

Ready to hear their inspiring story?

Listen to the full interview on RNIB Connect Radio:

Prefer to read? A full transcript is available below:

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Time now on RNIB Connect Radio to talk guide dogs and why people apply for their guide dog. It's always interesting to hear every person's individual story. Joining me now is John Whitfield.

John, thank you for joining us.

Pleased to be here.

Let's start then, you've got your first guide dog, and before we hear about him, let me ask you, what convinced you to apply for your first guide dog? What was the big point that swung it for you?

For many years, I've always been reliant on a cane. I have a red and white cane due to my dual sensory loss. I do a lot of tracks, overseas tracks.

I did the Great Wall of China, I've done the Grand Canyon, I've done Machu Picchu, and then the last one was to be in Iceland. I've got a work colleague and he came in with his new guide dog. He'd applied for a guide dog and he was asking me to do the same, at the same time for me to get a guide dog.

And I said, no, no, I'm fine, I'm fine. So he came in with his guide dog and it was a Labradoodle, a beautiful donkey, it was a massive, beautiful dog. And I thought, if I'm going to get a guide dog, I want one of them.

So I went onto the list and at this time, I booked a track to do Iceland. And that was going to be July the 4th. And I thought, well, it takes maybe two years, three years to get a guide dog.

So I thought, plenty of time to do this track and then I'll consider getting a guide dog. Did the application, did the interviews, they deemed I was perfect for a guide dog. Everything was going smoothly.

And then at the very end of it all, I said, is it possible to get a Labradoodle? And they said, well, if you specify a breed, then it might take longer. And I said, well, I'm in no great hurry.

I'm going to do a trek and then I'm going to retire from that. So they said, right, okay. And then I said, just to be awkward, my friend's got a cream-colored Labradoodle.

Can I get a black one? So we got a difference. And they said, oh, if you specify a color, it could take even longer.

I said, well, let's just settle for a Labradoodle. So that was it. I was on the list.

I settled back, getting into training for my trek in July. And then the beginning of June, I got a text message to say, we have a potential match. I said, I rearranged some times, went to meet the little dog, and it was a dog called Peanut turned up at the door.

And I can tell you what the breed is. The breed was a German Shepherd. And I said, well, that's different.

And I said, so yeah, yeah, I'm quite interested in you. You know, different from the, you know, one of the male sort of Labradors, Retrievers, Retriever crosses. So I said, oh yeah, so yeah, I'll work with this.

But I said, I've got a trek in on the 4th of July. So they organised me to go to a hotel for two weeks solid. I crammed it in so I could get the training in before I went to Iceland.

So on the 3rd, we went through it all. It was very, very difficult, I have to say, because he'd been much with two other people and didn't get on with them or they didn't get on with him. So he's very reluctant to be a guide dog, but I myself have had dogs all my life.

My father used to do one man and his dog in the sheepdog trials, and then he became a gun dog trainer. So he's had Labrador's Retrievers. So I've had all these dogs all through my life.

So there's no way that Pete was going to be defeated, you know, was going to defeat me. I said, well, we're going to get through this together. I persevered, we worked with him.

I was going out at night with him to try and get my training for Iceland. And on the 30th of June, it was my birthday, we both graduated. And then four days later, I went off to Iceland.

My wife looked after Pete. And he was actually, sorry I call him Pete. His name was Peanut.

And I said, there's no way I'm going to be shouting out Peanut in the dark for him, because I'm totally blind in the dark. “So I said, I'll show him to Pete. That's all good.

So he's spelled P-E-A-T.

What's Pete's personality like?

Quite cheeky. He's, he pushes the boundaries. And I think that's probably why people found him quite difficult because German shepherds are too damn intelligent for their own good.

And he likes to push. He likes to, he needs to be stimulated a lot. And I think that's what people don't always have the time for.

He's a bit of a thief. He steals food when he, you know, if you're not looking. So you have to be extremely careful.

He's extremely handsome. And because he's so handsome, I've become invisible. So I get these voices, like, oh, he's so beautiful.

He's so handsome. And I say, he's talking to me or talking to the dog? And yeah, the dog is stone in my thunder.

He is, yeah, everybody knows him. And if I'm ever on a train with a cane, for some reason, I might be going to a festival or something like that. I can't take the dog with me.

I've got the cane. First thing is, where's the dog? Where's the dog?

Where's Pete? You know, they don't know my name, but they know the dog's name. Yes, he's quite a character.

Everybody loves him.

What's he like as a worker when you actually work him?

I have this condition that's called Usher. Usher type 2. So I've got very, very restricted tunnel vision.

So when I got him, he just had his ninth birthday, so he's going to have to be assessed for one more year, and then he might get an extension depending. So when I first got him, he was quite difficult and as I say, reluctant. We worked away, worked with him, and so we did finally bond, and when we bonded, it was just a totally different kind of fish, and you could feel, well, you could trust him.

But how I found that I trusted him the most, was because of my vision loss, I'm totally blind in the dark. Where I live is a back street, which is very, very poorly lit, so I totally have to rely on feet. It's a very narrow street, and it's just wall-to-wall of cars all the way up the street.

And one night, one of the nights I was going along, and Peter stopped. I said, oh, what have you stopped for? So, and then obviously there must have been something in the way.

So I said, forward, forward. And he wouldn't go forward. So he ended up going back slightly, and then he went between cars, onto the main road, along, probably about six or seven cars on the main road, obviously checking and what have you.

And then came back in through a gap. So I got my camera out and took a picture behind me. And what it was, it was bin day, and the bin just filled the pavement.

And he managed to get me up there, past the bin, alongside the cars, back in, and up along. And I just thought, well, that's amazing. He saved my life a couple of times, crossing the road before getting into a car park.

And this car just swung around far too fast. And Pete just stopped in the middle of the road. And I hadn't realized what was happening.

So I indicated with my right hand to say forward, forward. And he stopped dead.

My hand hit the wing mirror of this car spinning around past me, so he just stopped dead.

I stopped dead, but I was still trying to encourage him to go forward. And yeah, so if I had gone further forward, I would have been hit by the car.

And it's definitely quite interesting how intelligent these dogs are, because sometimes they'll do something and you're thinking, well, why are you doing this? You don't know why they're doing what they're doing because they can't exactly kind of turn around and tell you what they're doing. I've had this, you know, many a times where I'm desperately trying to walk, walk ahead, kind of go, no, come on, what is there? There's no reason. Oh, oh, there's this in the way. How did you find learning to trust the dog? Because it's not a process you obviously used to have to have.

Yeah, well, that was very difficult because, because I still have a re-modicum of vision, you know, I'll be at about 4% of vision I have left. I used that to the ultimate degree, “you know, and I, you know, and then I have to rely on the dog. So during the daytime, I feel that sometimes I'm overriding him.

But the time when I, you know, because of my no peripheral vision, something is coming from the side. And that's when Pete decided, but, you know, this is where I take over. It's a bit of a partnership.

Well, that is fantastic. It truly shows how amazing these dogs can be. So yeah, thank you very much, John Whitfield, for coming on and telling us about yourself and Pete the Guide Dog here on RNIB Connect Radio.

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