A blind man who launched a crowdfunding page to get a new guide dog, after his previous canine companion died, has been matched with a two-year-old Labrador.

“Her name is Vilma and she is a bundle of joy. Meeting her was love at first touch," said Andrew Mark George, a few days after returning from the Norway guide dog training school where he met Vilma for the first time. 

"When I walked with her, I immediately felt that I had regained my independence,” he said. 

“For nearly two years now, I have been dependent on friends and family, so this is my final light in the dark,” he said.

In August, George, a 42-year-old British physiotherapist who moved to Malta six years ago, launched a crowdfunding page to raise €40,000 after his guide dog, Briar died of a sudden heart attack in her devoted owner’s arms. 

Apart from being devastated, Briar’s death felt like another loss, of his independence. Now he has another chance to regain it with Vilma. 

“It really was emotional as I had mixed feelings. I was saying goodbye to Briar but welcoming a new best friend – a bundle of fun and energy”

At the age of three, George was diagnosed with an eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa, a condition that slowly destroys the retina, causing blindness.

In his 20s, his sight worsened and he was registered as legally blind. He approached UK Guide Dogs, a charity that funded his guide dog, Briar. The German Shepherd entered his life in his early 30s and gave him the independence he needed.

In 2017, George moved to Malta with his five-year-old son, seven-year-old daughter and Briar. He works as a physiotherapist at his Mellieħa clinic.

After Briar died last year, George applied again to Guide Dogs UK for a replacement, but he no longer qualified for one because he is now a Maltese resident. He is on a waiting list with the Malta Guide Dog Foundation but could have had to wait months or even years for a replacement. 

Desperate to find a solution, he reached out to the International Guide Dogs Federation  and they gave him contacts for various guide dog schools across Europe. He contacted the Lund Guide Dog School, in Norway and they offered to help. 

“They asked me if Malta would be able to fund the dog and I explained that there is no assistance here, so I am raising the funds myself. They responded immediately with action and I could not ask for a more professional team to help me,” he said. 

Professionally trained guide dogs cost in the region of €40,000 due to the level of training they require. It takes on average one-and-a-half years to train a guide dog.

George then launched the crowdfunding campaign that was reported in Times of Malta.

“After the story was published, I got an overwhelming amount of help. I am still €14,000 short but I am almost there. I have to find a way to make this happen,” he said. 

When he reached out to the Lund Guide Dog School they told him they might have a dog that matched his lifestyle.

Guide dog Vilma

So, earlier this month, he went to Norway, with a friend, and met Vilma. 

“It really was emotional as I had mixed feelings. I was saying goodbye to Briar but welcoming a new best friend – a bundle of fun and energy.”

While he could not see Vilma, they connected immediately. “I could hear her panting with excitement and could feel the real joy. When I leaned down, she put her head to my side and then to the other. I could hear her paws spinning on the floor and feel her tail wagging.”

He then went for a walk with Vilma in the streets of the Norwegian village and it was an immediate success. 

“I immediately felt like myself again.”

He also went to an obstacle course in a forest and Vilma kept him safe from tripping and hitting his head on branches. 

George is back in Malta now. The plan is to return to Norway for a week of training at the end of November, after which they will travel together back to Malta with Vilma and a trainer, for more training in Mellieħa. 

Andrew Mark George at the Norway obstacle course with guide dog Vilma

“Hopefully, Vilma will be meeting my children just before Christmas,” he says. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/get-george-a-dog