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Lizzie Eastham stands in front of a Vision Australia Radio building and smiles towards the camera. She is pictured in a black and white striped dress and bright pink heels, and has her Seeing Eye Dog, Lacey, next to her. Lacey is a black Labrador and is also facing the camera.
Lizzie and her Seeing Eye Dog Lacey, standing out the front of the Vision Australia Radio offices.

“Before Lacey, I was very reliant on the help of others. Life was very limited for me. Having her by my side helped my mental health, and I was able to take pride in doing small things, such as going to the grocery store or going to a cafe.”

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Lizzie was born with septo-optic dysplasia, an eye condition caused by the optic nerve being underdeveloped. As a result, Lizzie has been totally blind her whole life. She was first introduced to Vision Australia whilst studying piano during high school, where she reached out to the Vision Australia Library to help transcribe her music sheets into braille. It wasn’t until early 2014 that Lizzie decided to apply for a Seeing Eye Dog and was matched with Lacey in July 2015.

After having worked for over nine incredible years, Lacey retired at the end of 2024 and has now taken on the role of beloved household pet. Despite her retirement, Lacey remains a huge companion for Lizzie, as she awaits a new Seeing Eye Dog match. This July marks 10 years of Lizzie and Lacey’s partnership, a milestone Lizzie is planning to celebrate by rewarding Lacey with a well-deserved puppuccino.

Lizzie reflects on what life was like with Lacey by her side: “Life was packed to the brim with adventure. We have done everything together. She opened up opportunities for me that truly helped my mental health and she changed my life in such a drastic way. Anything I've done in the last 10 years of my life, she’s been by my side,” Lizzie says.

While hiking had always been a dream of Lizzie’s, Lacey made it a reality, with the two taking on 15-20km trails together. “Being able to have Lacey there, walking beside me and guiding me on different surfaces whilst enjoying nature was so special. It’s something that we’ve owned together,” she describes.

While Lizzie is a confident white cane user, she said she has noticed that it’s much more challenging to be active and independent without Lacey by her side. “Going out for an hour and using my cane is more fatiguing than going out with my Seeing Eye Dog for a whole day, and I’m finding that I need more help from support workers to get out and about, due to how fatigued I get,” Lizzie explains.

Lizzie reflects on the necessity of having a Seeing Eye Dog by her side: 

“Having that companion, that close bond to an animal to anchor you back to reality while being out and about is a huge help. I’m a lot more anxious with the cane and my confidence is limited. Since Lacey’s retirement, I've experienced an impingement on my ability to move about and be independent,” she says.

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Lizzie would like to thank Petbarn and Seeing Eye Dogs supporters:

“I want to send a big thank you to Petbarn for running this appeal in support of Seeing Eye Dogs. These donations can provide Seeing Eye Dogs with more resources that help to shorten the waitlist. To the volunteers who give their time, thank you for your support. Whether it’s puppy raisers or anyone involved, these dogs operate at such high standards and Seeing Eye Dogs has never fallen short.”

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Help train up a pup this July

Show your support for the Petbarn Foundation Seeing Eye Dogs Appeal by donating in store or online.