Guide dog 'brought back joy' for Paisley man after losing wife and job following retinal tear

When Carlos Rodriguez, 47, from Paisley, suffered a sudden retinal tear, the senior database analyst said he watched everything unravel - his job, his marriage and even his mental health before he met guide dog Marine who he credits for helping him lose 10 stone and find love.

Mr Rodriguez said: “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Marine.

“I really wouldn’t. She’s entirely changed my life and given me the skills I lacked severely in life and she's brought back the joy.

“Guide Dogs scraped me off the ground and put me back together. I’m fitter, healthier and happier than I’ve ever been - even before my sight loss.

“They didn’t just change my life; they saved it.”

Mr Rodriguez could see around 25 per cent out of his right eye until he had the retinal tear.

Doctors gave him a choice: “Do nothing and you’ll probably lose all your vision over time, or go straight into surgery to get the tear welded back with a laser.”

After the operation, Mr Rodriguez says he was left with just about five per cent of his vision.

Paisley man was ‘ready to end it all’ after devastating retinal tear

“My career started to fall apart after the tear,” Mr Rodriguez added.

“Soon after, my wife left me as she didn’t know how to deal with the situation.

“There was no money coming in and my relationships were strained. At that point, I just didn’t know how to cope. I wouldn’t leave the house and it got to the point where I thought it was all over. I was ready to end it all.”

This caused Mr Rodriguez to be “extremely depressed” while he “stopped taking care of himself” and he put on weight - being 27 stone at one point.

Growing up in the 1980s, Mr Rodriguez says he never received much support for his sight loss so he kept his poor vision a secret.

“I did that all the way through school, university and work,” he said.

“If I could do anything again, I’d tell myself to get help sooner. I would have done it in my 20s, it could have helped so much.”

Mr Rodriguez admits he was under the misconception that guide dogs were only for people who had no sight at all.

‘Everything changed’ for Paisley man when he met guide dog

And when Mr Rodriguez was eventually matched with his first guide dog, things didn’t click. But, he says, “everything changed” when he met Marine.

“She came bounding out of the car and wanted to say hello - which they’re not supposed to do - but instantly there was a connection,” he added.

“It was almost like speed dating! I just knew she was the one.

“As soon as we got her in the harness, I’d never walked that speed before.”

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Mr Rodriguez then started to walk up to 15km a day with Marine. The pair would walk for two or three hours every day.

“Now I’ve lost over 10 stone - I like to say I’m half the man I used to be,” he joked.

“Before Marine, I was anxious and withdrawn. I wouldn’t speak to people.

“Even my lifelong friend recently said: ‘Before Marine, I’d never seen you being nice to people.’

“Now you can’t get me to shut up! She made me sociable again.

“Through Guide Dogs I even met my girlfriend, she was a volunteer, and Marine helped bring us together.”

To find out more and discover the services provided by Guide Dogs, head to: https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/