A blind Singaporean, Cassandra Chiu, is seeking the public's help.

She is hoping to raise US$30,000 (S$40,700) to help her acquire a new guide dog.

So far, she has managed to raise US$16,410 (S$22,288) from 111 backers.

First guide dog

Chiu said she got her first guide dog, Esme, in 2011.

"For the very first time, I was able to move around independently, not restricted by my fears and, most of all, not bumping my face (or toes) into things," Chiu wrote on her Go Get Funding page.

"This was the year I met my very first Guide Dog, Esmé!"

Esme is a known personality in Singapore.

As part of Esme's persona, the Facebook page assuming the dog's identity was put up as it occasionally advocates for more empathy from seeing persons for those who are blind in Singapore.

https://www.facebook.com/EsmeTheGlobalGuideDog/photos/a.560061714060242/2013397632059969/

More than 7 years

Chiu has been relying on Esme to get around for more than seven years.

However, Esme's age is catching up on her and she can no longer cope with the demands of her guide dog life.

Chiu wrote that without a guide dog, her life would be different as using a walking cane is not the same and would mean losing her mobility and independence.

Chiu used Esme to "judge traffic conditions, weave through crowds, find bus-stops, or warn me of stairs and doorways", which was what the dog was specifically trained to do.

From Australia

Esme the guide dog was trained in Victoria, Australia.

Chiu would be getting another guide dog, who would be Esme's successor, from the same Australian training school.

It is a renowned school that has been voted Australia’s most trusted Charity for the last six years.

Chiu said she will need to be in Melbourne for a three-week on-site training in 2019 as part of the process of selecting and training her next guide dog.

She wrote: "I am conflicted with emotions of both excitement and sadness."

The breeding and training of any guide dog takes almost two years and requires hundreds of hours from professionals and costs tens of thousands of dollars.

The amount Chiu hopes to raise will not be the total cost of the dog though.

Chiu also emphasised that her appeal for donations is in no way associated with Guide Dogs Singapore (GDS).

For those who would like to make a donation, go to this page.

Previously, Mothership.sg highlighted the rigours of guide dog training:

 

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