Guide Dogs at Work: A Loving Journey from Puppy to Protector
Have you ever seen a guide dog at work? These professionally trained dogs skillfully lead and assist visually impaired people to reach their destinations safely.
Once, on the subway, I encountered a guide dog quietly sitting beside its owner. Wearing a working vest, the dog was clearly on duty. I restrained my excitement and did not disturb it. The calm and composed way it stayed at its owner's feet was incredibly endearing. It makes one wonder: is such a stable temperament innate?
Guide dogs must not be disturbed during their working hours because their focus is essential for the safety of their handlers.
Before becoming qualified guide dogs, these pups spend their early months-roughly from two months to about a year and a half-in foster families. These homes provide a loving environment where the puppies grow up feeling safe, learning good manners, and developing healthy habits. This nurturing stage gives them the happiest childhood, the most stable life, and the most selfless love, preparing them to become the warmest guardians for people with vision loss.
In summary, the journey of a guide dog begins with tender care in a foster home, followed by intensive professional training to master the skills needed to safely guide their visually impaired partners through everyday life.
The Knowledge of Guide Dogs
Guide dogs are working dogs often referred to as "eyes for the blind". Their primary function is to lead visually impaired individuals, helping them avoid obstacles and unexpected traffic, thus enabling safer and more efficient mobility.
A guide dog wears a specialized harness called a "guide harness". The visually impaired person holds the guide harness, which allows them to safely reach their destination.
In Taiwan, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Golden Labradors are commonly trained as guide dogs. Internationally, Border Collies, German Shepherds, and Standard Poodles are also used.
Public awareness and understanding of guide dogs are growing, particularly after films like Quill and Little Q. Many people are now familiar with basic etiquette concerning guide dogs in public, such as refraining from petting or disturbing them while they are working.
4 Ways to Support Guide Dogs
Guide dogs play a vital role in helping people with visual impairments gain independence and navigate the world safely. Here are four meaningful ways you can contribute to the welfare and success of guide dogs and their handlers:
- Become a Guide Dog Foster Family
Opening your home to raise a guide dog puppy before its formal training is a crucial step in their development. Foster families provide socialization, basic obedience, and love, preparing puppies for their future role as life-changing partners. - Follow the "4 Don'ts and 1 Ask" When Encountering Guide Dogs
To protect guide dogs while they are working, practice these guidelines: do not touch, feed, distract, or interfere with the dog, and always ask the handler before offering help. Respecting these rules ensures the safety and focus of the guide dog team. - Purchase Charity Sale Items from the Association
Buying merchandise sold by guide dog associations supports their training programs and services. Your purchases help fund the breeding, training, and care of guide dogs. - Make a Donation
Financial contributions are essential to sustain guide dog organizations. Donations help cover the high costs of breeding, veterinary care, training, and ongoing support for guide dog teams.
By engaging in any of these ways, you contribute directly to empowering people with visual impairments and enhancing the lives of guide dogs who serve as their trusted companions.
Guide Dog Puppy Raising in Taiwan
In Taiwan, there are two well-known organizations dedicated to guide dogs: the Taiwan Guide Dog Association and the Huikuang Guide Dog School. Both have ongoing needs for foster families to care for guide dog puppies during their early development stages. Caring for these puppies is a crucial part of their training process.
Although it is obvious that fostering a young guide dog is not an easy task, dog lovers will agree that spending time daily with a guide dog puppy is a wonderful experience. Developing a stable and calm temperament in these puppies is essential-not only is this personality partly innate, but it also requires careful nurturing and training over time.
So, what should prospective foster families know before taking on the responsibility of raising a guide dog puppy? How can they cooperate with guide dog organizations to nurture these puppies into future guide dogs that will become the "second eyes" for visually impaired individuals? Preparing yourself in advance could mean that you might be the next "home dad" or "home mom" for a guide dog puppy.
Important Considerations for Guide Dog Foster Families
Guide Dog Puppy Raising Follows a Strict SOP: No Doing Whatever You Like
To ensure guide dog puppies have a perfect and memorable childhood, their upbringing must strictly follow professional guidelines. The process of raising these puppies requires close cooperation with guide dog organizations, detailed documentation of the puppy's growth, and regular reporting.
Even the distribution of food and treats is regulated with specified amounts and timing. Regardless of whether there are elders at home, the guide dog puppy must not become overweight or spoiled-avoiding becoming what is jokingly called "the grandma's dog".
This structured approach ensures the puppies develop the right behaviors and health needed to become reliable guide dogs in the future.
Providing a Safe Indoor Living Environment for Guide Dog Puppies
Guide dogs will one day live and work closely with visually impaired individuals. Because of this important role, it is absolutely essential that guide dog puppies are never raised on balconies or in unsafe outdoor spaces.
Instead, prepare a secure and warm indoor environment where the puppies can grow up healthy and happy. This safe setting allows them to fully experience love, care, and warmth within a human family, which is crucial for their development and future work as guide dogs.
Raising a Guide Dog Puppy: Time and Commitment
Raising a guide dog puppy requires a significant investment of time and effort. It involves teaching the puppy rules and basic commands, which is a process that cannot be rushed. Additionally, it is important not to leave the puppy alone at home for extended periods.
As you can see, fostering a guide dog demands a large time commitment to properly prepare the dog for its future role. This preparation is essential to ensure the puppy develops the skills and temperament needed to become a reliable guide dog.
Socializing Guide Dog Puppies by Taking Them Out in Public
Taking guide dog puppies out to various public places where visually impaired individuals might go is a key step in helping these puppies get accustomed to human society through experience and exposure. This involves bringing the puppies on public transit such as subways and buses, getting them used to escalators and elevators, and visiting locations like department stores, shopping malls, schools, office buildings, and train stations.
This process requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to face inconvenience and possible rejection while promoting the concept and importance of guide dogs. After all, many people remain unaware of guide dog puppy training and may even react unfavorably.
By consistently exposing guide dog puppies to these environments, they learn to navigate the diverse stimuli and social interactions they will encounter in their future roles, building confidence and social skills essential for their work.
Saying Goodbye to Guide Dog Puppies: The Journey of Growth and Separation
When the time comes, foster families must bravely say goodbye to their guide dog puppies. As these puppies grow up, they must separate from their foster homes to move on to the next stage of training, carrying with them love and best wishes.
Each foster family develops a deep bond with their guide dog puppy. No matter how difficult it is to part, the puppies have an important mission ahead. Foster parents are asked to let go as agreed, trusting that their puppy will continue to grow and serve others.
This moment of separation is often the hardest challenge for dog lovers to overcome. Seeing this, you might wonder: could your family become a responsible foster home? Or do you feel you might struggle with the separation and join the "failed foster" group?
There are many ways to help beyond fostering. It requires effort, but it can start simply-next time you see a donation box for guide dogs at a store, drop in some coins to support this important cause.
Guide Dog Etiquette: The Four Don'ts and One Do
A reminder: When you encounter a guide dog wearing a harness and working in a public place, or a guide dog in training wearing a red or blue vest with the words "Guide Dog in Training" printed on it, please observe the following "Four Don'ts and One Do" of guide dog etiquette!
The Four Don'ts
- Don't Call: Do not intentionally make any sounds to attract the guide dog's attention. This can distract the dog and endanger the visually impaired person.
- Don't Feed: Please do not use food to attract or feed the guide dog. This can distract the dog during training or while working.
- Don't Pet: Never play with or pet a guide dog. This will interfere with the dog's training or work. When the harness is on, it means "I'm working".
- Don't Refuse: According to Article 60 of the Persons with Disabilities Rights Protection Act, guide dogs (and puppies) are allowed free access to public places and public transportation. It is illegal to deny them access.
The One Do
- Do Ask: If you encounter a visually impaired person, whether or not they have a guide dog, offer assistance. Always speak directly to the handler, not the dog.
