|
Canine companions have been guides to
the vision impaired since the early 19th
century. These wonderful dogs work
for free but need our support when it
comes to training.
BY DR JOANNE RIGHETTI Most of us can
only imagine
what it is like
to live without
our sense
of sight but
blindness or
vision impairment
affects a substantial percentage
of our population, including one in
thirteen (6.9%) of the over 60s.
Blind at birth or a gradual loss
of sight, the person who is blind or
vision impaired must adjust to finding
their way around streets without
tripping over kerbs, kicking garbage
bins or stepping in dog poo!
Help at hand
For many people with vision impairment
help is at hand (or should we
say at paw!) with a canine companion.
Guide Dogs have been helping people
since early in the 19th Century and
in the 1920s the first training schools
were established, to aid soldiers blinded
in the First World War.
A Guide Dog can give a person who
is blind or vision impaired confidence
and safety. Travelling to work by public
transport, crossing roads or negotiating
steps all become easier with a
trained pair of eyes by your side.
As Judith Cantor, Marketing and
Communications Manager at Guide
Dogs NSW/ACT says “This is a partnership,
between dog and owner. Through
the enhanced mobility a Guide Dog can
provide, comes greater independence
for the Guide Dog User".
"Not everyone likes dogs, or they
may be allergic to them, or they may
not want the responsibility of looking
after one, but for those who do we
can match them up with a suitable
canine guide. If they work in the city,
for example, we will pair them with
a dog who doesn’t mind travelling in
crowds and will sit happily under a
desk all day” On duty
Watching a guide dog at work can be
an inspiration. They are calm, focused
and extraordinarily well-behaved.
Guide Dogs, unlike most of our pet
dogs, are highly trained individuals.
Living with puppy raisers until
about 14 months of age, these special
canines, around 4 out of 5 of which are
Labrador Retrievers, begin an intensive
training regime. As you can imagine,
a dog who will avoid distractions,
like tasty food or playful dogs is not
always easy to find or train.
Approximately half will make the
grade. Those who are not suitable
as Guide Dogs may enter the Pets
as Therapy Program. Others will be
returned to their puppy raising families
or adopted out into the community.
Helping the helper
If you would like to assist these canine
helpers then start by learning a little
Guide Dog etiquette. If the dog has
a harness on, he is working. Let him
do his job. He and his partner need to
concentrate. If you wish to assist a person
who is blind or vision impaired,
ask first if they need help.
Training a specialist takes time and
money and the average cost of training
an individual Guide Dog is in excess
of $25 000. Guide dog services are provided
free or charge, so donations are
a vital part of this organisation. Any
spare cents and dollars that you may
be able to donate are appreciated, as
are bequests.
At the end of a working life 
Guide dogs retire when they have
been in service for 8 to 10 years.
Tragically some owners can no longer
keep their retired canine colleagues
and are understandably extremely
sad to say goodbye. Often, however,
these trusted companions remain as
family pets and may even live out
the rest of their natural lives with the
companionship of another younger
Guide Dog.
Contacts
If you, or someone you know, are vision
impaired and feel that the services of a
Guide Dog or other mobility aid may assist
you, contact a Guide Dog association
near you. Guide Dogs NSW/ACT can
be contacted on (02) 9412 9300.
|
