Candy Collins and Skye out for a walk. Photo courtesy of Candy Collins.
A Saint John woman and her pup are singing the praises of Saint John Transit.
Candy Collins and her service dog, Skye, were dealt a tough blow when Skye was struck hard by a stroller while the pair boarded a city bus earlier this year.
Skye was deeply shaken up by the incident, which Collins said left her “terrified” of boarding the bus.
This posed a problem for Collins, who lives with early-onset Alzheimers. She depends on public transit and Skye to get around the city when her husband isn’t at home.
This week, Saint John Transit allowed Collins and Skye to re-train boarding the bus at their garage, enabling Skye to get comfortable with the action once again.
“I’ve always liked their service, but today I feel they went above and beyond anything I could have ever asked,” Collins said. “I feel like if they could have given me the moon they would have.”
After training Skye on entering the bus, a transit driver took them on a short ride in order to allow the pup to get comfortable riding the bus once again.
“She did really well, and we were really impressed,” Collins said.
Living with early-onset Alzheimers means Collins can be prone to getting lost while out on walks, or sometimes crossing the street without paying full attention to traffic. Skye makes sure she makes it back home, or doesn’t walk out in front of oncoming traffic.
With Skye unable to get on the bus for several months, it left Collins at home through much of the pandemic and not able to get outside beyond her neighborhood walking route.
“I can’t afford to take a cab anywhere I want to go,” she said. “The bus is a big thing for people on disability.”
She is especially appreciative that Saint John Transit was able to accommodate her request to re-train Skye during the pandemic.
“I just really want to thank Saint John Transit for everything they did. … They’ve given me back my independence.”
