'He's my eyes': How a guide dog named Lumiere helped his owner through CMA Fest

Scott Hegle wove through the crowd like a pro by the Riverfront Stage at CMA Fest on Saturday, with a little help from his guide dog, Lumiere.

"He does not mind the crowds at all," Hegle said. "I'm totally blind, so he's my eyes. I would not be here without him."

Hegle is a music fanatic, but he said country music has a special place in his heart. This year marked his fifth CMA Fest. He traveled by himself with Lumiere, a golden retriever he affectionately calls "Lumi," from Janesville, Wisconsin. Hegle's wife and 15-year-old son stayed behind. He said his family used to worry about him when he traveled, but they've grown more comfortable with it over the years.

"They're very supportive," Hegle said.

Hegle also often travels for his job with the American Printing House for the Blind. He works with teachers and visually impaired students. In his free time, he tries to make it out to hear live music as often as he can.

So how exactly does a guide dog like Lumiere get someone through dense crowds, busy streets and a massive lineup of performances across several stages?

Lumiere knows to disobey a command if he knows it would put Hegle into an unsafe situation. Part of his training is to do traffic checks to keep Hegle out of harm's way. Lumiere is also trained to guide Hegle to the left, which keeps him away from the street and curbs.

"It's the worst on bike paths," Hegle said with a chuckle.

Hegle also uses assistive technology on his iPhone to book rides and find information about the festival, uses beeping signals at crosswalks when they've available and relies the kindness of strangers as he goes along. Most days at CMA Fest, Hegle said he stopped dozens of times to ask for help.

"People are amazing," he said.

One day, Lumiere navigated Hegle all the way through the jam-packed exhibits and shops along Lower Broadway with no problems.

"I bent down and hugged him after that," Hegle said. "I couldn't believe what he was doing."

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Sometimes, Lumiere gets distracted. When that happens, Hegle will pause and take moment to help his dog refocus. Lumiere also knows that when Hegle lowers or drops his harness, he can take a break from guiding him.

At the end of the day, when they get back to the hotel room, he takes Lumiere's harness off. One night he said they got back to the hotel at 1:30 a.m. — but that didn't slow Lumiere down.

"You should see him play," Hegle said. "He jumped on the bed, rolled on the floor, ran around, jumped on me."

Hegle said he fit as many shows into his days at CMA Fest as possible. He especially enjoyed how Kane Brown blended different styles.

"He'd go from hip-hop into country with fiddles in the same song," Hegel said.

He also loved Zac Brown Band and was excited for Priscilla Block and Luke Combs on Saturday. Organizers estimated on Saturday that 67,000 people had attended the festival so far.

Sunday's lineup featured acts like Blanco Brown and Brittney Spencer, among others, with Dierks Bentley and others set to play at Nissan Stadium that night. The day was the hottest and most humid yet for the festival, with highs in the 90s and a slight chance for storms in the afternoon and evening.

Find reporter Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: CMA Fest 2022: Lumiere the guide dog helps owner through crowds