Hayden and 'Flack'

State's Youngest Guide Dog user graduates

In May this year, Hayden Smith became Queensland’s youngest Guide Dog user, when he graduated with ‘Flack’, a black Labrador Retriever cross.

Since that time, the Year 11 student on the Gold Coast, and ‘Flack’ have been learning to become a team and enjoying every moment of the new experiences and independence they are discovering.

Hayden has been a client of Guide Dogs Queensland for many years accessing our children’s programs; white cane training and at age 14 he joined the waiting list for a Guide Dog.

Guide Dogs Queensland first featured Hayden’s hope for a Guide Dog in a special appeal letter to donors 12 months ago; and as a Client Story on our website. In the initial story, Hayden was photographed having fun with a young Guide Dog puppy, and said he really started thinking about getting a Guide Dog in Grade Eight.

“Being the only blind guy at school, I have felt a bit self conscious, but having a Guide Dog would be a way of connecting with people as well as helping me find them!” he said, last year.

Since starting training in March, it didn’t take long for Hayden and ‘Flack’ to cement their partnership and go on to enjoy greater mobility and independence. A keen and talented music and theatre student, Hayden and ‘Flack’ are preparing for tertiary studies, possibly at the Conservatorium of Music in Brisbane.

With the help of Guide Dog Mobility Instructor Andrew Barnes, the new team are beginning to learn train routes and have already visited the “Con’s” campus to get their bearings.

Recently, Hayden and ‘Flack’ also took their first official holiday together, flying down to Melbourne on their own.

Their unique situation, however, with Hayden’s age and schooling, has not been without its challenges. Balancing studies, music lessons, band and theatre rehearsals and training with ‘Flack’ leaves little time for much else and has meant their training together is taking longer than other Guide Dog teams.

Hayden’s school and friends are also working hard to help, but sometimes food and scent distraction can be a problem.

Overall though, Hayden said people’s awareness about how to approach ‘Flack’ and how to behave around them has been a welcome surprise.

Instructor Andrew is also full of praise, describing the bond between Hayden and ‘Flack’ as “incredibly special and growing every day”.

Hayden’s newfound independence and mobility would not have been possible without the support of ‘Flack’s’ volunteer puppy raiser and his Diamond Collar Sponsors, PriceWaterhouseCoopers – who through a work place giving program provided the $25,000 for Flack’s training.