NEWCASTLE singer and songwriter Matt McLaren, whose incredible talent has taken him around Australia and overseas, attributes much of his success to his four-legged companion Stamford.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“Without Stamford I wouldn’t be where I am with my career,” the 28-year-old said of his Guide Dog. “Everything I’ve achieved and everything I have is all thanks to him.”
So it is with immense gratitude, and some sadness, that McLaren has announced Stamford’s reitrement.
McLaren, who runs a recording studio in Newcastle West, has walked about 9000 kilometres with the blond Labrador by his side since the pair first teamed up in 2008.
McLaren was born without vision and grew up in the Hunter Valley, using a cane to find his way. He met Stamford after moving to Newcastle and said putting his faith in the cute canine was initially unsettling.
“It was interesting because I felt like ‘can I actually trust a dog to lead me around’ because it’s a bit of a bizarre concept to trust a dog to not get you killed,” he said.
“But he was super confident straight away.
“It was definitely love at first sight, I mean, just look at him.”
McLaren is a recognisable face on the Newcastle music scene and regularly performs at weddings, corporate events and festivals. He and Stamford also appeared on the Nine Network’s Australia’s Got Talent in 2016.
He said having a Guide Dog helped his career, mainly due to the level of mobility Stamford allowed.
“Stamford enabled me to do so much more than I could with a long cane, such as carry music gear and travel confidently to new places,” McLaren said.
But while the two have formed a remarkable bond, 11-year-old Stamford was slowing down and deserved his retirement, McLaren said.
“It’s going to be sad, it’s going to suck to be honest because it is relearning everything again because we have spent the most part of every day together for nine years,” he said.
“It’s going to be challenging but I have to do the best thing by him.”
Despite being retired from active duty when McLaren receives a new Guide Dog from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT in the coming weeks, Stamford will not be going anywhere.
“He’s done a top job, I’ll keep him as a pet so he’ll get to lie around at home watching Netflix,” McLaren said.
Guide Dogs usually retire between eight to 10 years, depending on their health.
McLaren is hosting a retirement party for Stamford on Sunday, with all proceeds going to Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
“I want to celebrate Stamford’s life and his work but I also want to give something back to Guide Dogs,” McLaren said.
“As an organisation they’ve done an incredible amount for me over the years.
“Even before I received Stamford, they gave me orientation and mobility support and a long cane to get around. It’s hard to describe the scope of what they’ve done for me.”
A Guide Dog costs more than $35,000 to breed, raise and train. Guide Dogs NSW/ACT receives less than 2 per cent of its funding from the government, and is dependent on donations.
Every day 28 Australians are diagnosed with un-correctable vision loss, including nine who become blind.
Stamford’s retirement party is on Sunday, March 26, at Criterion Pub and Kitchen in Carrington from 2pm-6pm. There will be raffles, an auction and a chance to pat Stamford and get a photo with him, something many of his fans want to do on most days, but can not because he normally wears his harness.
“When the harness is on you’re not meant to pat or talk to them or interact with them in any way because they’re doing a job,” McLaren said.
“But his harness will be off on Sunday.”