Fascinating discussion, as always.

I was a guide dog user for a decade or so. he was useful when my daughter was young. At first I carried her around because she was too young to walk, then too small to walk far. So in that regard, he took my concentration off the route somewhat and let me chat to her and be more of a passive part of the navigation process.
I learned to use a white cane and am incredibly confident, but the tactile awareness of your surroundings are far more limited with a cane, of course. I certainly feel that walking around in any sort of busier environment with my daughter aboard was easier, less stressful and more natural with the dog to keep us on the path and stop for problems.

After his death, naturally the number 1 question was whether I'd be getting another one.

We now live in a small village. there's a church and a post office, a social club and a few public houses. the nearest city or town is 10 to 12 minutes away by car or a little longer by bus. Getting to and from any of these local things is more than doable with a cane, and even if I were in the office more than a few times a month, it seemed to me that having a dog just to get me there and back was counterproductive. he'd have about 20 minutes of work a day. The free running, grooming, finding him a sitter for any holidays and general maintenance required for that level of practical intervention wasn't worth it, in my judgment. Sure, he'd been a part of the family for a long time and we would never have gotten rid of him, but to establish a whole new dog in very different circumstances wasn't part of the agenda. First and foremost to me a guide dog is a navigational aid, and you only get that in the right situation. For me, that's not here and now.