Kristy & Guide Dog Vollance

Kristy is a sociable young woman, spending a lot of time with friends, going to comedy shows, movies and playing board games. Kristy has a degree in public relations and has had jobs which required travel all over the state, including regional Victoria.

Kristy was born with congenital cataracts. They were removed when she was young, however, she developed glaucoma not long after. At the age of 12 she suffered a retinal detachment and lost sight in her right eye. What remains of her sight is a very narrow field and poor acuity in her left eye.

Kristy applied for her first Guide Dog at the age of 17. She’s had Guide Dog Vollance (or Volly as she affectionately calls him) for six years. Kristy is no stranger to Guide Dogs, both her sister and father have Guide Dogs too. Her Guide Dog Volly, guided both herself and her father down the aisle at her wedding. Since she spends a lot of time travelling to new places, Volly proved to be the dependable guide she needed. She often found herself needing to find restaurants or hotels on her own in a regional area with not many people around to ask for help. Volly would concentrate on getting her through a clear path whilst Kristy would use her phone to navigate and find where she needed to go.

Kristy describes Volly as the perfect match; “He’s not easily distracted, has bundles of energy, is cheeky, is reliable and keeps me safe.”