75 kilometers

Pilgrimage with four paws: Guide dogs on the Way of St. James

With combined strength and mutual support, the group arrived happily at their destination on Saturday.

(Bild: Purina)

It is an extraordinary adventure that four blind Austrians have dared to undertake. After months of preparation, they walked for miles along the Way of St. James in Spain. Always at their side: their assistance dogs, who led them sure-footedly along the path over hill and dale.

Laura, Maria, Wolfgang and Sonja can be proud of themselves and their guide dogs, because they have achieved something great and fulfilled a dream in the process: They walked the Camino Inglés from A Coruña to Santiago de Compostela. In glorious sunshine, but also in some heavy rain, storms and minor obstacles along the way, the four of them and their four-legged helpers showed that courage, perseverance, training and (self-)trust pay off.

They did it! The group of Austrian and Spanish guide dog teams happily arrived at their destination - the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

(Bild: Purina)

On the road together
The four guide dog teams were accompanied on the 75-kilometer journey by the project initiators from Independence Dogs Austria (IDA), Karl Weissenbacher from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and Katharina Krenn, Senior Brand Manager for Corporate Communication at Purina Austria. They also learned a lot on this trip and are taking what they experienced back into their everyday lives.

Katharina Krenn and Karl Weissenbacher are impressed by the performance of the guide dog teams and will also use their experiences in a professional context.

(Bild: Purina)

Katharina Krenn traveled to Spain with them. Her aim was to get to know and understand the reality of the guide dog teams' lives better. "At Purina, we know that the power of the human-animal bond can change lives for the better. On this trip, I was able to see how the guide dog teams grew closer together with every challenge and that trained dogs mean independence and freedom for blind people," she concludes.

Surrounded by assistance dogs - and in this case, of course, guide dogs - Ingrid Sweeney (founder of Independence Dogs Austria) feels completely in her element.

(Bild: Purina)

Ingrid Sweeney, Chairwoman of the non-profit organization IDA, explains to the "Krone": "Guide dogs are specially trained by us to replace blind people's sight as well as possible and to protect them from danger. It is important that the guide dog teams train together regularly. By exploring unfamiliar places, the guide dog teams' skills are refreshed and their senses sharpened."

Independence Dogs Austria offers regular training courses. The trip to Spain, which also promoted intercultural exchange between different nations with different experiences, was something very special in many ways for everyone involved!

The power of the human-animal bond
"I've been training a lot with 'Emil' after work and at weekends over the last few weeks and I'm really pleased that we managed the sometimes challenging daily stages so well," says Sonja Lahnsteiner, one of the blind participants from Austria, proudly. She mastered the "Camino Inglés" adventure perfectly with her bright poodle.

Resting and cuddling in between is at least as important for the human-animal relationship as the daily training. Here Sonja and "Emil" enjoy a short break from hiking

(Bild: Purina)

Wolfgang Niegelhell, panpipe virtuoso and composer, is also happy and satisfied: "My 'Amando' and I are one heart and one soul and after passing my assistance dog test in mid-September, I had even more confidence in him as a guide dog for the blind and in us as a team. The Camino Inglés will remain in my memory forever!"