We contacted Kata and Vektor in the middle of July. There is so much harmony and lots of opportunities for development in their newly started life together. We are glad that they had some nice photos taken in Balatonfüred.

Kata Szőnyeg was yet to change workplace ten years ago, when the company’s medical consultant found out that something was wrong with her eyes. Multiple examinations followed. She was able to read, but her eyesight gradually continued to get worse. At dusk she could not see very well, she was tearing up a lot, and she had to use a magnifier for reading.

“During that time my life had become harder and harder, my mother died, my serious relationship ended, and my ability to see continued to fail. I couldn’t see the traffic lights clearly, and it happened that I thought that a car was in a safe distance from me, only to find that it stopped almost at my feet. Colours merged around me, I had to feel the stairs with my feet, if I didn’t want to fall. I realized that I had to learn again how to get by in the city. Recently my sister has suggested that a guide dog could help me, so I applied at the Foundation. At first, the trainer brought a guide dog who was too slow for me. In these cases, there’s a practice: we try another dog. And the next one was just perfect! It turned out at the first time, that Vektor is not too slow, and not too fast for me, he moves exactly in my pace” – Kata told us.

This above-mentioned meetup with Vektor took place 13 years after Kata found out about the deterioration of her eyesight. Now she can see human faces up close, but she says that she may completely lose her ability to see. She feels that the trainer of the Foundation, Mónika, and this lovely labrador came into her life just in the right time. Dog and human became a perfect pair in only two months’ time, and they passed their traffic safety exam in late November 2023, at Kata’s residence, Balatonfüred.

“Vektor helps a lot in getting around. A dog is more prominent, than a white cane, drivers tend to be more attentive towards them, and I can always trust him. It’s funny,
when we go on a walk, he almost helps to put my shoes on. We have yet some work to do, as he occasionally insists to go wherever he wants, and it happens, that he
immediately wants to make friends when he sees another dog… But he is young, and for that I am grateful, he will be only two and a half years old this autumn. The important thing is, that I am so much safer with him now” – said Kata.

What kind of dog is Vektor?

“Firstly, he is quite curious. He loves his belly; his stomach is insatiable. I love that he cuddles so much, he is just adorable! He works nicely, and to maintain this level, he
needs to rest and have fun, so I often walk him to the dog park. At the park he behaves like an ordinary good dog. He plays nicely with the smaller dogs as well, so everyone likes us there. One time, an angry dog attacked Vektor, but he soon had enough and came to my feet just to let me know that he wanted to leave, as they wouldn’t be best friends.

Activity, learning, music”

Kata and Vektor hikes a lot in the surroundings of Balatonfüred, in forests and meadows… “but we always use a leash” – she adds. In Vászoly, which is a nearby village,
Vektor often has a bath in the lake or the creek. They go everywhere together, Vektor even guides Kata to the grave of her parents.

Kata leads a healthy life, she trains regularly, she even tried herself in water sports, and she likes SUP the best. She loves theater, prefers comedies, operettas, musicals, and old music hits. She has recently started a Swedish massage course, and to make her progress faster, she practices on an acquaintance, so she frequently travels to Veszprém accompanied by her dog. She has started learing Braille, because – how she puts it – “I don’t know until when will my eyes be good enough to get around, so I figured where Braille is used, I will still be able to navigate on my own. It will come in handy in exhibitions, administrative bureaus, offices.”

We wish Kata success in every field of her life, with Vektor by her side for years and years to come!