While she talked on the phone Wednesday afternoon, Sherry Gomes was reminded by her guide dog Shani that it was well past dinner-time, as the brown-eyed yellow Lab let out a dramatic groan turned sigh in the background that carried through the line.
Keeping track of meals isn’t Shani’s only skill. The 5-year-old animal is one of the best guide dogs Gomes, who is completely blind, has ever had.
Adept at guiding Gomes safely over cracks in the sidewalk, across streets and to the door of Gomes’ favorite coffee shop — Que’s Espresso on Airport Road — the 5-year-old guide dog has had a great impact on Gomes’ life.
Gomes was connected with Shani through a guide dog school: Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Gomes graduated from the program in late February. After formerly having a guide dog, which had issues, Shani has helped Gomes increase her independence.
Gomes was born with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder that causes joint inflammation, stiffness and can have an effect on optic nerves. Gomes has some artificial joints, a fused knee and has been blind since she was 5.
Growing up in California, Gomes’ parents always told her that her physical limitations couldn’t keep her from doing the things she wanted to accomplish in life. That has shaped Gomes’ perspective and drive to have a guide dog that could help her be independent. Now, Shani is helping her to continue that ability.
“I’m going to gush a little bit,” Gomes said. “Because of my arthritis, I’ve always had chronic pain, I’ve always walked slower. I’ve had balance issues. When I walk with a guide dog, which was brought home to me when I trained with Shani, I feel like somebody who doesn’t have all those physical limitations. I feel safe. I feel confident. For my pace, I’m flying down the street.”
Since she was 7 years old, when Gomes read a book about guide dogs, Gomes dreamed of having her own. She got her first guide dog at the age of 17 and said that it changed her life. But not all of her guide dogs have been the best-behaved.
Before Shani, Gomes had a guide dog from 2014 to 2019 that wasn’t safe. The dog had a serious dog distraction problem and would pull or lunge while leading Gomes. The situation was bad enough that Gomes couldn’t rely on the dog and would have to ask friends to take her out to help her control the dog. This, she said, defeated the purpose of having guide dog. After retiring the dog, Gomes decided she needed to try a new school.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is based in York Town Heights, New York, but serves people across the U.S. and Canada with a variety of disabilities, including traumatic brain injuries. The school trains dogs to work to help the person with their specific needs. It was this aspect that encouraged Gomes to enroll.
Melissa Smith is a regional guide dog mobility instructor for the school and is based in Denver. She worked with Shani and Gomes for two weeks to acquaint them. Smith said that Shani originally had been with a different person than Gomes. However, that person’s health declined and they decided to return Shani to the school. Shani’s training with the former owner matched well with the skills Gomes needed in a guide dog.
“That dog couldn’t be more perfect for her,” Smith said. “Sherry needs a dog that can stay focused on the work. Every (dog) usually has one little quirk that they’ve got to work out. Shani doesn’t have any of those quirks. She’s near perfect.”
Shani, Gomes’ sixth guide dog, has been the opposite of her former guide dog. The yellow Lab is skillfully able to show Gomes what’s in their surroundings. The animal is so in sync with Gomes that she understands when Gomes is in pain and may need to walk at a slower pace. The dog remembers locations, too, including the coffee shop and where Gomes driveway starts.
“I haven’t had Shani long enough to know if she’s the best, but she’s equal to the best dog I ever had,” Gomes said. “I had that dog in the ’90s.”
While shopping at Flatirons Mall on Feb. 22, Shani gave a pause, alerting Gomes that the floor texture was changing. A change from carpet to tile could have caused Gomes to stumble, had Shani not alerted her. And while Shani serves as a dedicated guide dog, she’s an equally good companion.
“She’s very loving, follows me everywhere and cuddles on the bed at night,” Gomes said. “She just makes my overall life much better.”
Gomes’ independence has always been an important part of her life. For the past 11 years, she has worked in technology support for a company that creates hardware and software for blind and low-vision people. In her spare time, when she’s not visiting the coffee shop, shopping or at the theater with friends, she’s been hammering out the pages to her first novel, “Haven,” which she will self-publish and release on Amazon this year. The book is based in a fictitious town in Colorado and follows the life and romance of a blind woman.
Focusing on the woman’s story outside her blindness is an important element to the story. Throughout her life, Gomes said people have treated her like she’s unable to do anything for herself. She said she’s heard people express amazement that she’s able to do basic things like getting dressed and feeding herself. People fear and misunderstand what it’s like to be blind, she said.
“I always thought if we wrote fiction about people living everyday life,” Gomes said, “people working, having romances, having problems — where the focus wasn’t on blindness, but on the fact that the person is a normal human being and experienced the same issues and conflicts that maybe it can help educate some people that blindness isn’t something that has to be feared.”
Already Gomes has completed half of her second manuscript for her next book. With Shani by her side, Gomes will be able to take all the coffee breaks she needs to accomplish this and many other goals.
“Having Shani and saying ‘Forward,’ and taking off,” she said, “I feel like I can tackle the world.”
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