A blind doctor has spoken out about the torment his guide dog has been put through at the hands of strangers.
Dr Amit Patel, a trauma specialist before losing his sight, is reliant on his guide dog Kika to help him get around and keep him “safe”.
Speaking to Sky News, the former medical professional turned disability advocate, explained the ordeal his companion had been through.
He said: “When I first got Kika she would make her way to a station, she would stop. For me I would just assume she was waiting for the crowds to move on or she’s getting her bearings.
“It was only when someone actually approached me and said ‘are you ok?’ and I said ‘yes, I’m fine’, and they said ‘I don’t think you realised but your dog was swiped with an umbrella’.”
After being made aware of the treatment his pet was receiving out on the street, he decided to come up with an ingenious plan.
He said: “So it was that whole thing where I went home one day and I thought ‘this has happened a few times’. We put a camera on her, ‘let’s see what we can capture’.
“The next day my wife caught a couple of people doing exactly the same thing. It makes you angry, it really does, it makes you angry.”
He continued: “I’m completely blind so for me Kika is my eyes, she keeps me safe. I feel that I need to look after her as well, I wouldn’t want to put her in a situation where she’s getting hurt.”
The Cambridge-educated doctor added that some people play cruel and dangerous games with Kika for their own amusement.
Dr Amit said: “People think it’s a fun game trying to get Kika to move closer to the edge of a platform and you kind of think ‘wow, do you really need to do this?’
“Sometimes you just need to give us a little bit of room, we’ll be out of your way within seconds.
“I just think that people don’t realise that these dogs do amazing jobs.”
