What My Guide Dog Taught Me About Independence (Paralympic College Athlete)

Show Notes:
Guide Dog Training with The Seeing Eye taught Paralympic medalist Evan Wilkerson how to ‘turn his brain off’ on campus and gain total independence.

Meet Titus – the golden retriever who transformed Paralympic medalist Evan Wilkerson’s understanding of partnership and responsibility. In Part 2 of our series, Evan reveals the intense 25-day bonding experience at The Seeing Eye school and how they conquered New York City’s subway system together.

What Evan reveals in this conversation:

• The exact moment he met Titus (a golden retriever) at The Seeing Eye school
• How 25 days of training evolved from simple street crossings to navigating Times Square
• The surprising way campus navigation went from “every bump and twist” to completely automatic
• Critical crosswalk safety protocol: what to do when cars block the path
• The harsh reality check: “It’s not for everyone” – responsibility, routine, and financial commitment
• A must-hear warning for pet owners that could save a guide dog’s career
• Real talk about the misconception that guide dogs have “GPS”

Most importantly, Evan breaks down what every parent needs to know about raising independent, responsible kids – using guide dog partnership as the ultimate test of commitment.

NEXT WEEK: Part 3 – Evan’s first semester realities, disability services, and Paralympic future plans

WATCH PART 1: https://youtu.be/gOue912tpps

PARENTS: This conversation offers powerful insights about raising kids who can handle real responsibility. Save and share with other parents teaching independence.

Work with Tonya as an IEP Coach: If you’re looking for personalized support, a trusted partner, and expert guidance through the IEP process, I would be honored to be part of your team. Find more information about my IEP coaching services here: https://waterprairie.com/iepcoach

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Music Used:

“LazyDay” by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Artist: http://audionautix.com/

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Episode #142: What My Guide Dog Taught Me About Independence (Paralympic College Athlete)

Guide Dog Training with The Seeing Eye taught Paralympic medalist Evan Wilkerson how to ‘turn his brain off’ on campus and gain total independence.

(Recorded October 8, 2025)

Full Transcript of Episode 142:

Meeting Titus at The Seeing Eye school

INTRO: First, he won bronze, and then he met Titus. Welcome back to my three-part series with Paralympic medalist Evan Wilkerson. Last week, Evan mentioned the critical break he took from swimming in August. It was for intensive guide dog training, and this week Evan introduces us to his new partner, Titus. He shares the incredible journey of building a bond in just 25 days, navigating the massive New York City subway system and adapting to campus life.

Plus, he issues a critical safety warning that every pet owner must hear about service dog etiquette. You’ll never see partnership and responsibility the same way. Let’s dive into part two of my conversation with Evan.

Tonya: In the last episode, you mentioned that you had gotten a guide dog and taken a break over the summer. Tell us who is your dog? Name? How did you meet? And, and let’s just kind of start walking through that.

The 25-day bonding and training process

Evan: Of course. So, um, I went through a guide dog school called the Seeing Eye, uh, it’s the oldest guide dog school in the world.

Uh, their training is fantastic. They’re just an amazing school. Highly recommend if you’re looking into getting a guide dog, but, um. So my guide dog’s name is, uh, Titus. Uh, she’s a golden retriever. I had no idea, you know, this was gonna be a dog I was gonna be matched with. Um, until, you know, my instructor on the, uh, the third day class walked in my room and said, you know what?

This is your dog. She’s a golden retriever. We’re gonna leave you alone for about 20 minutes and then we’re gonna go do a route. And I was like, okay. They are throwing us off the deep end. Um. But we ended up bonding very quickly. The, uh, the whole training process went really well. Um, you know, we started off small just doing street crossings.

Then we kind of graduated to doing a route in, uh, a city with some outdoor seating and street crossings. And then we went on a much longer route with roundabouts, outdoor seating, stuff in the sidewalks, strange turns and sidewalks. Um, all that type of stuff. And then after we’d done more our city routes, we started doing what we called freelance.

So working in environments that you’re actually gonna work the dog. Uh, so for me, we did a gym, a pool, uh, we did some college-esque environments. Uh, and then of course there’s still some basic things that, uh, you wanna know how to do, like revolving doors and, uh, just kind of general things like that. Um.

Really maze like buildings. We did a courthouse up there just to know kind of how the dog’s gonna cue turns and, uh, stairs and all that type of stuff as well. Uh, so that training lasted about 25 days.

Conquering NYC

Towards the end, we went to New York City.

 We went from the bus station, took the subway up to, uh Central Park. And then we went from Central Park all the way back down through Times Square, along Broadway, uh, down to, uh, where we started at. And, uh, I think if I had to say a moment where I really became confident in the abilities of Titus as a guide dog, it was that trip because, uh, we really had no issues.

Uh, she got a little distracted by some pigeons at first, but, uh, once she got used to those and I had kind of corrected a couple times, we were, we were set, we were kind of cruising through, uh, through New York. Not a, not an environment. A lot of blind people can figure out how to navigate, but, uh, we, we figured that one out.

Tonya: When you were in New York, so this is an area you’re not familiar with yourself. Did you have like someone that was, that was trailing you? Or giving you directions to know where you’re going.

Evan: Oh, of course. Yes. Uh, so the instructors, uh, walk with us while we’re, uh, doing our guide dog trips. Um, just because, you know, when, you know, we didn’t start in New York.

Of course, we were up in New Jersey for our first little bit, but, um, or for the vast majority of it. But, uh, the instructor was always there just to kind of give us advice, make sure we’re going the right way. Um, you know. Let us know kind of what we should be correcting and what we shouldn’t, uh, all that type of stuff as well.

Campus navigation with Titus

Tonya: You’re still in those early, early months of working together. Um, how, how easy is it for you to navigate the college campus now? ’cause this was a new territory for you.

Evan: I can turn my brain off and it’s automatic. It is so nice. Um, you know, I have the harness and the leash in my left hand. Uh, I can be walking and talking to someone and be aware of just my left hand.

I don’t have to have a cane sweeping, I don’t have to think about that. Um, if she does something that I know is definitely wrong, um, you know, I know how to correct and, uh, stay focused on, uh, what I’m doing. Um, and then she learns a lot of my routes as well. So I’m still having to navigate, of course. But, uh, it’s, it’s nothing like with a cane where you have to be aware of every bump in the road, every twist and turn of the sidewalk.

I just have to know generally where I want to get to and give her those very basic directions and she gets me there.

Tonya: And is she able to tell you if there is a trip hazard on the sidewalk?

Evan: Yes. Um, so she will stop for anything that could be a hazard to me. If she doesn’t see a way around it. So, um, low hanging tree branch, she’ll go around, um, cord going all the way across the sidewalk.

She’ll stop. Um, and sometimes she’ll kind of look at it and I can feel where she’s looking. Uh, and I just reach my foot out and see what it is. Uh, once I find it, I can kind of figure out, okay, should we go around or should we just step over? Uh, and then, you know, once we’re done with whatever that process happens to be, we just continue on our way.

Tonya: Nice. So I have to ask you, because, ’cause you’re, you’re the, the expert now on this. I just saw a clip that Molly Burke had posted. She’s crossing the, the street and there’s a car that’s stopped on the crosswalk. And so she’s standing there with, with her dog and she’s telling the driver, I’m blind and I need, and I, and I can’t.

Why cars shouldn’t block the crosswalk

I can’t go across what, like what if they told you, what do you do in that situation? So the car’s blocking the crosswalk completely.

Evan: If the car’s block blocking the crosswalk, typically what I would do is, uh, you know, I’m gonna realize, okay, there’s a car she’s stopping for this.

I’m going to, you know, tell her to continue. Um, I’m more than likely going to point her in the direction of the back of the car.

Tonya: Okay.

Evan: Um, so that I’m not walking into the parallel traffic.

Tonya: Yeah. ’cause that’s what I’m thinking. Then you’re walking into traffic.

Evan: Right? So if you go towards the back of the car, you just circle around, get back on the crosswalk.

Uh, I’ll tell her straight and that means, you know, get me out of the street. Uh, she’ll find what, wherever the up curb is, truncated, domes, whatever it happens to be. Uh, and you know, it’s, it’s very simple, very smooth process.

Tonya: Okay. Yeah. ’cause, ’cause in the, in the clip, Molly’s telling her to back up and the driver backs up and then there’s another car that’s blocking the way.

And so she’s facing the same thing again.

Evan: Right.

Tonya: Um, and I was curious about that.

Evan: That just creates issues.

Tonya: Well, and, and I think drivers are not, it, it doesn’t even cross their mind.

Evan: Right.

Tonya: Because, because they, they’re assuming that anyone that’s in the crosswalk will just walk in front of the car and they’ll be fine.

But you can’t do that if you can’t tell how far forward they are exactly. Or where the, the left turn traffic is coming from, that might be coming across it. So that’s a smart thing to do. Okay, so let me get back to where my course of thought was here. So complete, completely going off on tangents now.

Oh, on campus. Are you having any trouble with students that don’t understand this is a working dog?

Evan: Not really a lot, especially a lot of my teammates know. Um, I talked to all of them, uh, fairly early on being here, and then I’m a very fast walker and so if they want to catch up to try and pet her, good luck.

And then she will also see a lot of people as obstacles, um, to be avoided. And so she’ll circle around them. And, uh, you know, we’ll just keep going. Like, uh, nothing happened. But truthfully, no. There, we really haven’t had any sort of issue with people wanting to pet her. Um, you know, that’s a different story if I just tie her down somewhere, uh, while I am doing something.

But, uh, when she’s with me, no, we have no issues.

What do you do with your guide dog when you’re training?

Tonya: So when you’re, when you’re training, where is she?

Evan: So, I have her a crate. Um, on the side of the pool, uh, just on the pool deck with, uh, you know, have her nice bed and stuff in there where, uh, you know, while I am, uh, training and working hard, that’s her nap time.

For her to kinda recharge. ’cause it’s, it’s a bit of a walk over to the pool, especially for her. And it’s, you know, it’s a good time for her to relax and, you know, the mornings kind of get those last few minutes of sleep and in the evenings. Um, you know, kind of rest up before we have to walk back, go to dinner, uh, do whatever I’m doing in the evening, all that type of stuff.

Tonya: So you’re just keeping the crate there at the pool?

Evan: Yes.

Tonya: Nice. I’m glad they’re able to work with you with that. All right, so last question for this section.

Who should get a guide dog?

What would you tell other visually impaired students that are considering a guide dog?

Evan: It’s not for everyone. Um, if you can’t be responsible and have a routine and be willing to take care of another living creature, don’t do it.

I think a lot of people overlook the responsibility. Um, they overlook a lot of just the general care. Um, a lot of the, the financial cost that goes into it. And, you know, if, if you’re not willing to do any of those things, don’t get a guide dog because then you know you’re just gonna start resenting the dog.

I think another thing I would say is don’t expect the dog to do everything for you. You are still in charge of navigating. Um, I think a big misconception is you just tell the dog, all right, we’re going to Walmart. And the dog knows exactly where Walmart is. It’s got a built-in GPS, and it’s just cruising its way down the street.

You have to know the route and know, you know, the dog’s gonna make mistakes, and you have to be aware because, um, a lot of those mistakes aren’t little. Uh, they could be. You know, potentially really bad. And so you need to be aware of where you are, what the dog’s doing, um, and make sure the dog isn’t being distracted.

Critical safety warning for pet owners

Tonya: Right. And then, I do have one, one more question. If listeners have dogs themselves and they come across someone that’s using a guide dog, what would you tell them? Like, how should they treat their dog to keep the guide dog safe?

Evan: Control your dog. Um. I always carry a cane for this purpose.

Um, a lot of people are terrible at controlling their dogs. I have gotten in situations where I have had to pull out my cane and be ready to beat another dog to get them to stop attacking my dog. Uh, because owners think, oh, they’re just being friendly. No, they’re not being friendly. They’re growling and foaming at the mouth.

Get them away from my dog or we’re gonna have issues. So the biggest thing is. Be aware of what your dog is doing. Be aware of other dogs around you, and if you see a guide dog and you have your dog with you, cross the street and be out of the way.

Tonya: I asked that question because I don’t know how many people realize that that one interaction could ruin a guide dog’s whole career.

Evan: Absolutely.

Tonya: And that is a huge danger for not just the dog, but for their handler as well.

Evan: Of course.

Series preview: College experiences next week

OUTRO: Evan and Titus are a powerful team showing us what it means to be all in on responsibility and partnership. That profound commitment is exactly what we’ll explore next week. As Evan dives into the realities of his first semester, we’ll find out how he’s adapting to college life, which disability services he’s utilizing, and which ones he’s skipping, and the roadmap for his future Paralympic swimming plans.

If you’re parenting a teen, navigating challenges, or heading toward independence, this final conversation is essential. Make sure you’re subscribed and hit that bell. Next week we’re sharing real world advice from a medalist about navigating college with a disability. I’ll see you next time.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Q1. Which organization did Evan Wilkerson use for his guide dog training?
A1.Evan went through The Seeing Eye, which is the oldest guide dog school in the world, located in New Jersey.

Q2. How long was the intensive guide dog training program Evan completed?
A2. The immersive training process where Evan and his guide dog, Titus, built their partnership lasted approximately 25 days.

Q3. What is the biggest advantage of using a guide dog over a cane on a college campus?
A3. The guide dog provides much greater independence, allowing Evan to “turn his brain off” and avoid being constantly aware of every bump or turn required with a cane.

Q4. What specific advice did Evan give for maneuvering around a car blocking a crosswalk?
A4. Evan advises guiding the dog toward the back of the car, circling around it, and then instructing the dog to get back on the curb to avoid walking into parallel traffic.

Q5. What is the most critical safety warning Evan gave for pet owners around working service dogs?
A5. Pet owners should control their dogs and ideally cross the street to avoid the working dog. An aggressive interaction can permanently ruin a guide dog’s career and endanger the handler.

Q6. What key trait must a person have before considering getting a guide dog?
A6. Evan stressed that a person must be responsible and willing to maintain a strict routine and provide constant care, as the dog is a living creature, not just a tool.