The Malta Guide Dogs Foundation is calling on the government for financial support to fund the training of the animals that help blind people gain independence.

Close your eyes for a while. When you reopen them you’ll realise how I feel with Macy around

The foundation would like the authorities to help them set up a guide dog school in Malta by funding the training of at least two guide dog instructors and helping them acquire land, foundation board member, Sara Grech, said.

As things stand today, the foundation sends dogs to Messina, in Sicily, for training that costs about €14,000 per animal. Having trainers in Malta would cut costs and help the foundation realise its dream of training 10 dogs a year.

Since the foundation was set up in 2006, eight guide dogs have been trained and three puppies are in training. There are about 1,800 visually-impaired people in Malta.

“We don’t have enough financial support from the government. For example, someone who needs a wheelchair gets help to buy it. A guide dog serves the same purpose. It helps us be more independent. It can change our lives,” foundation chairman Joseph Stafrace said. All guide dogs were donated to the foundation that paid for their training.

Mr Stafrace, who lost his eyesight when he was seven, was one of the first “lucky people” to be given a guide dog in Malta. Since Macy entered his life, so did independence.

“Macy helps me see. Close your eyes for a while. When you reopen them you’ll realise how I feel with Macy around,” he said with Macy sitting quietly at his feet.

Since he got his guide dog, Mr Stafrace, who has been married for 10 years, attended a course in social work at the University of Malta and now works as a support worker with people with various disabilities.

He became chairman of the foundation in February when founder Ron Colombo passed away.

Ms Grech, who owns a real estate company, became involved in the foundation when she showed a property to a blind person. Curious about the situation of the blind in Malta, she looked up the internet to find more information, learnt about the foundation and contacted Mr Colombo. The two became friends and she remained involved in the foundation helping it to raise funds.

“If we could concentrate our energy on helping blind people, rather than trying to go out there to find funds, we could do a lot more,” she said, adding that government funds were much needed in the field.

She explained that not all dogs could guide blind people. Once a potential candidate was identified, it lived with an “adoptive” volunteer family for a year before being sent to Messina for nine months of training. The dog was then matched to a future owner who would travel to Sicily for three weeks of training on how to handle the animal. Follow-up training then continued in Malta. Although there are no Maltese guide dog trainers, five people are able to carry out the follow-up training.

“Once you have a guide dog in place, not only do you have to think about finding guide dogs for new people but you also have to think to have replacement dogs,” Ms Grech said. A guide dog retired after seven years.

Mr Stafrace said that before he could make his way around with Macy he first had to venture onto the roads to learn routes by using his walking stick. He then taught Macy the routes through a set of commands such as “find the step” or “find the corner”.

He stressed that Macy was not a pet but an important “tool” that helped him be independent. He had to learn how to keep a balance between being affectionate towards Macy and maintaining authority that was vital in ensuring that a guide dog did its job properly.

He said the foundation signed a contract with guide dog owners and carried out inspections to ensure that the animals were being treated well.