“Can I pet your dog?
“They’re so cute! One treat won’t hurt!”
It’s questions like these that people who rely on guide dogs hear on a regular basis and they’re some of the questions a new documentary series is trying to clear up.
Edmonton’s Guide to Guide Dogs is a 10-part docuseries produced by Angie Zimaro and her husband Colin McDonald. The series, which launched last week on Telus Storyhive, focuses on dispelling myths about the visually impaired community and answering questions people might have about guide and service dogs and the people who rely on them.
McDonald, who is visually impaired, and his experiences with his guide dog, Powell, serve as the inspiration for the series.
“Everywhere we go, everyone always has questions about the dog and guide dog etiquette,” Zimaro says of her husband’s experience. “Some people know and some have no clue, so I thought ‘let’s make a documentary series.’”
Shot over the course of the past year with a small grant from Telus, the series asks the questions those outside the visually impaired community might have, but not know how to ask. They run the gamut from why the infamous “can I pet your dog” question can be harmful to how the dogs are trained, navigate and what happens when they get old.
It also deals with some of the challenges and discrimination that visually impaired people face when out in the world with their dogs.
“We have (a scene) where an Uber driver refuses service because of the guide dog,” Zimaro says. “There’s still a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding … we still get denied by taxis and ride shares, still get attempts to refuse us at businesses or are asked for ID.”
Daryl Lang, a marathon runner who has been visually impaired since birth, is one of the subjects of the series. She says dispelling some of the stereotypes around visually impaired people was part of what prompted her to get involved in the project.
“It’s easy for organizations to speak for everyone,” Lang says. “While they can offer good insight, there’s often voices that aren’t heard. I’m out there and I live my life. I don’t hide away in a bubble and being able to provide that experience as someone who uses a guide dog and who gets out there and does things provides a bit more texture to the idea that guide dogs belong everywhere.”
If you feel like it’s time to teach an old dog new tricks, watch Edmonton’s Guide to Guide Dogs.
