Insta-famous guide dog Gallia’s career future uncertain following cancer diagnosis
Gallia the guide dog is not your average pup, with thousands of Instagram followers and the title of canine executive officer at Telstra. But her owner is calling for help after the pooch was diagnosed with cancer, leaving her assistance job in limbo.
Inner East
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There aren’t many dogs who can claim the title of Canine Executive Officer at one of the country’s leading telco’s.
Nor do they boast thousands of followers on social media or find themselves crisscrossing the country for work and leisure.
But Gallia, as her owner Kelly Schulz of Kew will tell you, isn’t a typical dog.
For the past six years, the seven-year-old labrador cross golden retriever has been helping Ms Schulz, a Telstra employee who works for the company’s subsidiary called Belong, and who is blind due to a genetic disorder called familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, navigate the world.
She accompanies Ms Schulz to conferences and speaking engagements interstate and goes on holidays with her, and Ms Schulz said the level of companionship was difficult to describe.
But in a heartbreaking turn of events the assistance dog, whose loyal online following tracks her every move as an assistance dog on the job, recently turned out to be in dire need of help herself.
Last month a cancerous lump was found on her chest, and while Ms Schulz said her prognosis was good, she said her future as an assistance dog was uncertain and it was unlikely she’d be able to keep Gallia should she retire.
But after years of service she said she wanted to give something back to her faithful friend by fundraising to cover her medical bills as well as to raise money for Guide Dogs Victoria, who trained Gallia and will help rehome her in retirement.
“They say a cane is an obstacle finder where as a guide dog is an obstacle avoider,” Ms Schulz said.
“I didn’t travel for work before I had Gallia, I didn’t do the speaking engagements, I didn’t go to new places … you just never want to be the person who trips up the steps.
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“(Now) she is the queen of the office. She has way more friends than I do.
“I’m not the sort of person that wants a campaign asking for money … but what I’ve realised is that she is so loved by so many people who want to help her.”
Ms Schulz has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money, with more than $6000 already raised.
She said the fundraiser would last until the end of November and she said she would post regular updates on Gallia’s medical condition.