When Sue Mason lost her sight 10 years ago she thought it was the end of the world but now, with the help her guide dog Quasar, she has found her freedom again.

The 58-year-old has a disease which attacked her optic nerves a decade ago leaving her blind.

Sue said: “When I lost my sight it felt like my life was over. I was very independent and then I felt like I was never going to go out and I had no family to call on.

“The first day I went out on my own with Quasar it was freedom. I walked down that road with a smile ear to ear on my face and I wasn’t bumping into anything. Just having the dog sitting next to me gives me confidence.

“You can’t underestimate the help a guide dog gives you.”

Sue has had her dog for more than four years and said it has helped her regain her independence.

“Before I had Quasar I was very scared and very nervous,” she said. “I had a cane but a lot of the time I was too afraid to go out. As soon as I got him it just opened the door. I could go out and about.

“Crossing roads is the biggest issue when you’re blind. It’s a misconception that the dog tells you when to cross, I decide by the sound of the traffic when to cross but if I’ve not heard the sound of a car, or a bicycle, then it’s Quasar’s job to see that and he refuses to cross.

VIDEO: Sue Mason talks about how Quasar has changed her life

“They’re trained to do everything you ask of them but this is one time they have to go against your wishes to keep you safe.

“You can be waiting for a bus and he might get up when the bus has arrived and people say ‘wow isn’t that good he can read the bus numbers’ but they get to know the drivers and it’s them the dogs are recognising.”

Sue, who has recently moved to Sittingbourne from Rochester, said that obstacles on the pavement such as parked cars and advertising boards are also a big issue. If she is walking along a road and Quasar sees an obstacle he will lead her to the edge of the kerb so Sue knows there is something blocking her path.

Sue said she has experienced problems getting in taxis and buses because she has a guide dog.

“Taxis very regularly refuse to take us they drive away or won’t let us in,” Sue said.

“I’ve been stranded at 11pm at night in the rain and taxi after taxi refuses, I show them my badge but they still refuse.

“It can be quite frightening then. Sometimes buses drive by and don’t stop.”

The Medway branch is backing a national Guide Dogs campaign calling for audio-visual announcements on all new buses to be compulsory to enable people who are blind or partially-sighted to use buses with confidence.

Sue added: “If you see a blind person, with or without a guide dog, if they are looking like they might be lost we don’t mind at all if a member of the public comes up and offers their help. We might not need it but we are so grateful for any help.”