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Dis-Chem Foundation & SA Guide-Dogs Association on The Flash Drive with Carl Wastie · The Flash Drive with Carl Wastie

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  Speaker 1: Life there is and there's some great people like you
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  Speaker 1: who help the community sometimes without even knowing it and
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  Speaker 1: that's why every now and then i need to make
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  Speaker 1: a lovely call to one of our friends now we
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  Speaker 1: all know what a dog can bring to a beautiful
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  Speaker 1: family i know i have four boston terriers companionship affection
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  Speaker 1: that happy face waiting for you when you get home
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  Speaker 1: even if you leave the house for one minute you
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  Speaker 1: return it's like you've come back from the odyssey it's
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  Speaker 1: wonderful to have pets But for some families, a dog
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  Speaker 1: can do so much more. Assistance dogs are specially trained
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  Speaker 1: to support people who are visually impaired and blind, as
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  Speaker 1: well as autistic and neurodivergent children. And for an autistic
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  Speaker 1: or neurodivergent child who feels overwhelmed or anxious, an assistance
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  Speaker 1: dog can offer comfort and help them feel safer and
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  Speaker 1: more settled. Now today, I just wanted to chat to
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  Speaker 1: Jackie about how the Discamp Foundation are getting involved. Hello, Jackie.
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  Speaker 2: Hello, Carl. How are you?
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  Speaker 1: Phenomenal, as always. Always great to chat to you, Jackie.
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  Speaker 1: And to find out which type of organizations are on
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  Speaker 1: our table this week to spotlight and to just make
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  Speaker 1: sure that we are constantly focused on different and diverse
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  Speaker 1: causes as well. But you're focusing on these incredible dogs
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  Speaker 1: for a second. And tell me a little bit about
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  Speaker 1: the why you wanted to highlight this as a choice
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  Speaker 1: for organization to support.
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  Speaker 2: So, Carl, we've been working with the South African Guide
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  Speaker 2: Dog Association for quite a while now. And I recently
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  Speaker 2: asked them to come out with me to a school
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  Speaker 2: that cares for children that suffer from autism, neurodivergence, you know,
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  Speaker 2: multiple challenges that we would assume they face. And they're
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  Speaker 2: just the most wonderful children. And off we went with
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  Speaker 2: the Guide Dog Association. And there's so much more to
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  Speaker 2: be learned. It's not just about assisting those that are
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  Speaker 2: visually impaired. It's very much about these assistance dogs that
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  Speaker 2: look after children that have got that flight mode. They
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  Speaker 2: call it Bolt. And how these children were quite scared
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  Speaker 2: and quite unaware of these dogs. And once they started
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  Speaker 2: interacting with the dogs, the sense of calm that literally...
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  Speaker 2: fell over these children was quite spectacular you know they
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  Speaker 2: were scared and they were feeding them and it's special
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  Speaker 2: and i don't think many people know that the guide
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  Speaker 2: dog association do these types of animals um train them
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  Speaker 2: and they're very specific in their training and they also
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  Speaker 2: assist in dogs people in wheelchairs that i mean i
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  Speaker 2: learned this morning only in fact that These dogs are
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  Speaker 2: taught to help take washing out the washing machine if
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  Speaker 2: somebody can't help them. If they drop something off their wheelchair.
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  Speaker 2: It was fascinating, Carl. And I just really wanted to
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  Speaker 2: bring attention to the unbelievable work they do and how
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  Speaker 2: affordable it is to have one of these dogs be
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  Speaker 2: a caregiver to somebody's child in need, which helps the
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  Speaker 2: whole family as well.
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  Speaker 1: The SA Guide Dogs Association, I am certain that they
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  Speaker 1: are some overheads because we have to train these animals,
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  Speaker 1: don't you? You have to make sure that they are
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  Speaker 1: able to support the incredible people they are supporting, and
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure that comes with a cost. So how is
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  Speaker 1: the Disc Game Foundation getting involved?
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  Speaker 2: So we give them a financial donation on a monthly basis.
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  Speaker 2: It costs around $ 1, 000. Nitty-gritty, locked out to the bare bone,
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  Speaker 2: it costs R350, 000 to train a single Labrador or retriever,
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  Speaker 2: golden retriever, over a two-year period. It can cost up
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  Speaker 2: to R500, 000. But here's the incredible thing that people don't know.
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  Speaker 2: Irrespective of whether you come from a financially challenged background
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  Speaker 2: or whether you have good access to funds and finances,
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  Speaker 2: it costs R300, 000. obviously there's due diligence and you'd have
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  Speaker 2: to work through the Guide Dog Association and it would
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  Speaker 2: be for a very real need. They don't do emotional
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  Speaker 2: support dogs. These are very specifically trained. And it's that affordable,
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  Speaker 2: you know, and it's a case of you have to
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  Speaker 2: ensure that the dog goes every six months to a
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  Speaker 2: vet for a checkup so they can ascertain that the
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  Speaker 2: dog's not overweight, the dog's being cared for correctly. And
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  Speaker 2: if necessary, where they do have to step in, they'll
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  Speaker 2: do so. So we're about trying to help people that
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  Speaker 2: are not aware understand that there is help. And it
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  Speaker 2: helps the family's car. You don't have to then be
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  Speaker 2: watching the child 24-7 because they've got their companion, the
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  Speaker 2: person they're comfortable with. I can carry on. You can hear.
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  Speaker 1: I know. No, no, no, no, no, no. But it's fascinating.
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  Speaker 1: It's fascinating. No, no, it really is. And I think
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  Speaker 1: it's important because essentially the ethos of the Discount Foundation
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  Speaker 1: is to enable and care for communities. And this includes
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  Speaker 1: even something like the South African Guide Dogs Association ensure
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  Speaker 1: that people have awareness and access to to anything that'll
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  Speaker 1: make their life better. And that's what you're doing here today.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm very enthused to hear about this. And I
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  Speaker 1: know that these dogs, part of the training, I hear
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  Speaker 1: from my research on the South African Guide Dogs Association,
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  Speaker 1: that there is also some training required to make sure
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  Speaker 1: that the family unit understands the dog, the dog's commands,
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  Speaker 1: and that you can actually have that trust in the
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  Speaker 1: animal to be a security blanket and something that can
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  Speaker 1: also make you feel safe as well.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. Absolutely. And they do, you know, a lot of
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  Speaker 2: the children that they work with are non-verbal. And again,
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  Speaker 2: you know, Tanya Schoenwald from the SA Guide Dog Association
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  Speaker 2: was telling me that oftentimes there have been stories that
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  Speaker 2: have come back to them that when a child has
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  Speaker 2: spoken for the first time, it's been to the dog
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  Speaker 2: because there's no expectation. You know, unfortunately, we as people
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  Speaker 2: have expectations or we want to encourage in the kindest
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  Speaker 2: possible way, but that That dog's just not there to
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  Speaker 2: judge you and they just feel so safe.
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  Speaker 1: And that's what our dogs do. Honestly, they do that
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  Speaker 1: for us. And I'm so happy that you put a
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  Speaker 1: spotlight on this today. And I know that there are
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  Speaker 1: needs that they have and that you are trying your
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  Speaker 1: best to satisfy with the income that you get, especially
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  Speaker 1: when people are better rewards members. That's how we all
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  Speaker 1: help and hold hands. Even sometimes we don't even know
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  Speaker 1: whose hand we're holding, but we're holding nonetheless.
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  Speaker 2: We're holding them.
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  Speaker 1: And that's the beautiful thing of it. And I know
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  Speaker 1: if you want to get some more details, as I said,
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  Speaker 1: I did my due diligence. I also saw that guidedog.org.za
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  Speaker 1: is their website. And they have all the resources there.
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  Speaker 1: But Jackie, just once again, thank you for spotlighting what
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  Speaker 1: a beautiful cause and also supporting the cause as well.
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  Speaker 1: And just reminding us that when we are doing the
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  Speaker 1: swipe that we need to do, when we walk into
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  Speaker 1: that discount and purchase a lot more than we came
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  Speaker 1: there for, at least we know that the swipe is
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  Speaker 1: doing a lot more than what the swipe is actually
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  Speaker 1: doing with regard to rewards points or whatever. And I
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  Speaker 1: think that's why it's an important spotlight. And thank you
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  Speaker 1: for bringing to our attention as well, Jackie.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, Carl. Thank you very much.
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  Speaker 1: No problem.
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  Speaker 2: And I'll see you soon. I'm heading your way next month.
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  Speaker 1: I hear so. I had a chat to somebody today,
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  Speaker 1: so I'm very excited. I know that there's something on
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  Speaker 1: the horizon. And I chatted to the boss today. Don't worry,
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  Speaker 1: but we'll chat about that later. Jackie, thank you so much.
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  Speaker 1: It's all good.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, Carl.
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  Speaker 1: No problem. You too. It is the Disc Game Foundation.
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  Speaker 1: And if you are indeed a Disc Game Better Rewards
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  Speaker 1: Program member, you're assisting the South African Guide Dogs Association.
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  Speaker 1: And if you're not a member, there is such an
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  Speaker 1: easy way for you to get involved. Visit discgame.co.za to
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  Speaker 1: find out how you can join the Disc Game Better
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  Speaker 1: Rewards Program because every swipe counts.