Once qualified and at home, the guide dog and owner face new challenges. For the visually-impaired owner, this could be the first time they have been independent for a long time. The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is there every step of the way and regular aftercare visits are standard.
It is out at work that the owner and dog really become a team – especially when crossing roads. The dog has been taught to stop at a kerb and wait for the owner to decide when it is safe to cross and give the command ‘forward’. Sometimes a guide dog owner needs help to cross a very busy road. If you think help is needed, please ask. If your offer is accepted, let the owner take your arm.
Guide dogs work in incredibly demanding situations and their owner’s safety depends on the dog’s concentration. If you see a guide dog working, please don’t distract him with food or by talking to him.
‘Having a guide dog has given me back my dignity, my reason to live. Until I had Isla I was ignored, had been attacked and was too frightened to leave the house. Now I feel like a human being again.’ Hilda Winters, 89-year-old guide dog owner
Depending on how demanding the dog’s working life is, guide dogs work for an average of 7 years. Then it’s time to hang up the harness and retire. At the end of its working life the dog often stays on as a pet in the owner’s family. Guide Dogs will find a loving home for the dog if need be.
Guide Dogs have been expertly breeding and training guide dogs for more than 75 years, providing many thousands to blind and partially-sighted people of all ages and from all walks of life.
We have a real treat for you today. The 1st phonecast by Mike Brace – the CEO of Vision 2020, who has recently applied for a guide dog. In this phonecast series, he’ll be talking about his experiences of the process.
Hi this is Mike Brace doing my with First Phonecast. It’s ironic actually choosing today to do it because I’m on the eve of quite a a monumental decision to me and that a few months ago with the environment increasingly getting worse in my view, I decided after 50 years to apply for a guide dog. The reason’s I never had a dog in the past have been lifestyle in terms of rushing around the country and having to then worry about feeding and walking the dog at work using having quite a big busy lifestyle so I was you know getting in 6:00 7:00 in the morning getting home perhaps 7:00 or 8:00 at night if I was lucky. Or going straight out from work till 1:00 2:00 in the morning and then having to start all over again so I decided that really to me and dog just was a bridge to far in terms of worrying about the dog as well as myself. I was using the underground…….
We hope you enjoyed reading the first installment of the exciting journey from pup to guide dog. In the second part of our three part series, the pups are brought back to Guide Dogs to learn the skills needed to guide a blind or partially-sighted person. They learn the following:
To walk in a straight line in the centre of the pavement unless there is an obstacle;
Not to turn corners unless told to do so;
To stop at kerbs and wait for the command to cross the road, or to turn left or right;
To judge height and width so that its owner does not bump their head or shoulder;
How to deal with traffic.
Guide dogs in training wear brown training harnesses – they don’t get a smart white one until they complete their schooling.
The training is rigorous – it has to be – and not all the young dogs make the grade. For the majority that do, the introduction to their new owner marks the start of a partnership that will last around seven years. (Half the dogs now being trained will go to replace dogs that have retired.)
Matching the correct dog with the correct owner takes skill and experience. The owner’s length of stride, height and lifestyle all contribute to the type of guide dog they will be matched with. The couple spends up to four weeks of intensive training together until they qualify together and the visually-impaired owner proudly hands over a token 50p for their dog and the guide dog is awarded the white harness.
Stay tuned for the final installment – Out and about at work.
Following on from the news of former Sponsor a Puppy pup Hettie’s first litter we thought it would be interesting to share with everybody more of an insight into Guide Dogs, specifically a glance into the journey from puppy hood to fully qualified guide dog. We are starting off with the birth of our pups through to the captivating world of puppy walking!
Guide Dogs is the world’s largest breeder and trainer of working dogs and every year around 1,200 would-be guide dogs are born to our brood bitches, specially chosen for their intelligence and temperament. Guide Dogs is securing the future of its breeding stock by freezing semen.
Our brood bitches live in family homes near the Breeding Centre in Warwickshire and are brought to the centre to conceive. Pups born to become guide dogs must be intelligent and good-natured – not be nervous of crowds or frightened by sudden noises.
Once born, each litter is named by a letter in the alphabet – an A litter, for example, could be named Adam, Anna, Algie, Amy and Albert. The only letter we don’t use is X!
The puppies are vaccinated and ready to meet their puppy walkers at six to eight weeks old. If puppies are to become good guide dogs they must not only have the right parents; they must also be brought up properly.
At 6-8 weeks old, the pups have their first taste of guide dog training. Volunteer puppy walkers, such as guide dog puppy blog contributor Paige, introduce the young pups to the sights, sounds and smells of a world in which they will play such an important part. This will mean taking the dogs on buses and trains, into shops and along busy streets. The puppy walker will also teach the puppy to walk ahead on the leash (not ‘to heel’) as it will once a guide dog, and to obey simple commands such as ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’ and ‘come’.
When the pup is about a year old it returns to Guide Dogs for the next part of its important training. This can be a sad time for the puppy walker, but they are rewarded with the knowledge that they have helped raise a dog who will one day act as someone’s eyes.
Coming shortly in the next instalment – Back to School!
We are frequently asked about former Sponsor a Puppy pups and how they are progressing since their final pupdates. We are thrilled to share with everyone that former Sponsor a Puppy pup Hettie, who was taken to be a brood, has now had her first litter of pups. We are delighted to be able to show you a sneak preview of some cute pictures!
Come and have a look at the proud mum and her gorgeous pups featured on the Sponsor a Puppy website
This pair is not stopping here though! Scott’s signed on with a ski group called the Guide Dogs Adventure Groups, which will help visually impaired skiers get on the slopes.
Congratulations once again to this amazing partnership!
We are really excited to announce that we have met a lovely lady called Paige who is a first time Guide Dogs puppy walker. She will be exclusively sharing to one and all her experiences with 2 month old guide dog puppy Laura.
“I’ve always known about Guide Dogs for the Blind and have wanted be a puppy walker for many years. I’ve only recently been able too, however, as I’ve always worked full time. Now that I am home, I have the time to devote to a puppy”
Laura lives with Paige, her fiancee and other “furbaby’s” Phoenix the toy poodle and Jessie the tabby cat. According to Paige, Laura and Phoenix have become firm friends and Jessie the cat is unfazed by the puppy invasion!
At the moment Laura is too young to start going everywhere with Paige but she does accompany her on short walks to the local shops and post office to start getting accustomed to the big outdoors. Stay tuned for more exciting insights into the world of guide dog puppy walking…..
We are absolutely delighted to announce the news that intrepid trekkers ScottCunningham and his guide dog Travis have won the Institute of Fundraising National Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year Award – 2010. This is in recognition of their tremendous work with Travis Trek.
Travis Trek was started in 2003 by Scott when his guide dog Travis became the first guide dog to trek the West Highland Way. They have now raised an exceptional sum of over £100,000 for Guide Dogs through six mammoth treks – the Travis Treks.
The 2010 Travis Trek – “The Legends Return 2010” saw the dynamic duo, from Larkhall in South Lanarkshire, return to the West Highland Way. They trekked from south to north between the 28th March and 3rd April 2010, starting at Milngavie for seven days through the Scottish Highlands to Fort William.
Scott said: “With £85,000 raised from my previous treks, our aim this year was always to break the £100,000 barrier – and we achieved it! When we started I never dreamed we could raise so much for Guide Dogs. But over 500 miles later, averaging 100 miles a trek, we reached this fundraising landmark, and in doing so, showed the world how remarkable the partnership is between guide dog and owner.”
“I am absolutely delighted to receive the Institute of Fundraising Award. It had already been a great honour to even be short-listed for it. I told everyone that I dedicated the award to Guide Dogs for all the help that the charity had given me since I lost my sight. Travis really enjoyed the evening too and was especially dressed up for the evening in his smart dickie-bow.”
Julie Millar from Guide Dogs’ Scottish fundraising team said: “We are so proud and grateful to Scott and Travis for their incredible support. If anyone deserves national recognition for dedicated charity fundraising over a number of years, it’s Scott.”
Scott and Travis are a perfect example of an amazing partnership and are an inspiration to all. Congratulations Scott and Travis.
Guide Dogs is a working name of The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (291646) and a charity registered in England and Wales (209617) and Scotland (SC038979).
Back to School
Following on from the news of former 
Not only did Scott and guide dog Travis win the 
We are absolutely delighted to announce the news that intrepid trekkers Scott Cunningham and his guide dog Travis have won the Institute of Fundraising National Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year Award – 2010. This is in recognition of their tremendous work with Travis Trek.
