Jeffrey has been going to Luton Town games for over six years and has slept through most of them.
There was no change in the labrador’s routine on Saturday afternoon for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur to the perfectly named Kenilworth Road stadium. Jeffrey took another nap during the game and, while snoozing, a video of him racked up views online. The short clip of Jeffrey in the Main Stand with his owner Matt Claridge first appeared on TNT Sports’ live coverage before kick-off and has now been viewed millions of times.
🚨 Dog spotted on Kenilworth Road 😍 pic.twitter.com/YhsAAJaqrZc
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 7, 2023
Jeffrey becoming a viral sensation was news to Matt when The Athletic he and his father Chris were approached in the main stand following Luton’s 1-0 defeat.
Matt, 44, was born blind. Through treatment, he regained some vision in both eyes but has since lost all vision in his right eye and only partially sees in his left. That means, he has complete trust in his “best mate” Jeffrey, whom he describes as a very loving dog. Jeffrey expertly guides him in and out of the stadium, on the roads and on the buses.
“He was reacting to the (referee’s) whistle,” Matt said. “When the whistle blows he looks. But he usually sleeps and people are covered in dog hair. If I jump for a goal, he jumps for me. I won’t take her if it bothers her or if she can’t handle it. He just lay down in front of me and fell asleep. He slept through the promotion from League Two (to the Premier League).
The nine-year-old dog, who when he’s not working enjoys holding his collection of teddy bears at home or putting his paw on your arm to ask for a hug, is popular around the club. But his owner, and season ticket holders in this section of the ground, did not expect Jeffrey to be the world star he was this weekend.
“He’s probably the most famous guide dog in the country at the moment,” Matt said later from the George II pub in central Luton with the video doubling in view by the time we got there.
This was Jeffrey’s last full season as a regular. In 11 months, she will retire and be looked after by Matt’s father Chris, who lives with them half an hour down the road in Bedford. Matt’s name will then be added to the waiting list for a new guide dog — a process he said could take up to two years.
Jeffrey with owner Matt and other fans. He was disappointed to see Luton not take the lead (Caoimhe O’Neill/The Athletic)
Chris is his son’s carer and is almost always by his side for Luton games. However, in 2016, Chris fell ill. He spent four months in the hospital awaiting a liver transplant and, during that time, was also diagnosed with bowel cancer, a battle he overcame.
Going to football with his father was always an outlet for Matt, who was severely bullied at school. This proved to be more of an escape when his father was unwell. And that’s when Jeffrey started attending the games, to guide Matt in his father’s absence.
“I’ve been bullied,” Matt says, as Jeffrey, wearing a Luton-themed collar, sleeps soundly at his feet. “I just have to deal with it. The teacher will do nothing. I was beaten. They are not my best memories.
“They (other students) were throwing footballs at my face and breaking my glasses. I put chewing gum on my chair, they stuck my things to my clothes. It was cruel.
“I have moved on. I got a good job (working in IT for a bank). When I get home tonight, I’ll go down to the pub and Jeffrey will have his own bed there and I’ll have a few drinks. I have people.”
One of those people was his father. And when Chris was old enough to return to matches, Matt, who was uncomfortable using a cane after being bullied at school when he tried one, continued to take Jeffrey along.
At half-time, Jeffrey’s high-visibility harness was put back on as a sign that he was working. Then he led Matt to the bathroom and back. During the game, Chris did the commentary for Matt, who couldn’t see the ball or recognize the players.
“I try to talk to him, tell him if it’s a corner, a foul, if people are excited around us I’ll tell him why,” Chris said.
There are earpieces available with radio commentary in certain areas but Matt prefers to hear his father’s voice and those around him describing the game, such as their friends Peter Clarke and his Scott’s son. The four of them attended Luton games together for two decades.
They have been with Jeffrey in fights, but Matt prefers not to take him. Not only were there accessibility issues such as steps and inadequate lighting, but there were often a lot of people drinking and it wasn’t always the safest space for Jeffrey. “You always get an idiot,” Matt said.
When they went to Wembley in May for the Championship play-off final (which Luton won on penalties to secure promotion to the Premier League) Matt’s mother looked after the dog.
“I didn’t see much of the game. I just go by the atmosphere and people’s reactions. I’m about five rows in front and you can’t see much, even if you don’t,” he chuckles. “I went home, went to see him and watched the game again.”
Matt’s younger sister Rebecca is also blind and both spent a lot of time in hospital in their early years.
Jeffrey petitions to change the name of land on Kennel-worth Road (Caoimhe O’Neill/The Athletic)
“As a parent, it’s heartbreaking,” Chris said. “This happened 40 years ago; at that time medicine and everything was not as up to date as it is today with laser treatment and all that. Things have moved on.
“You can only learn as a parent and you have to adapt. It gives me great pleasure to bring him to the game and see him there, with the people.”
As for Jeffrey, his work license was recently extended by six months which means he will retire in September 2024 instead of March, when he turns 10. This means he will continue to guide Matt to home games in the Premier League for the remainder of Luton’s surreal season.
His last games are likely to be in August next year, at the start of the 2024-25 campaign. If Luton fail in their attempt to avoid relegation, they will drop back down to the Championship, but that doesn’t matter to Matt. He followed them in their non-League days and would continue in whatever league they were in.
Whatever happens, when August comes, Jeffrey will no doubt be asleep.
(Top images: Caoimhe O’Neill/The Athletic)
