Best Friends
There are numerous dogs throughout the world that assist people less fortunate than most; to these people their dog truly is their most valued possession and their very best friend.
Guide Dogs for the blind are one of the most recognized organisations and one of the larger trainers of working dogs.
During the first year of a pup’s life it will be homed by a puppy walker and at 6-8 weeks old the pup begins to explore the big outside world. The puppy walker will visit busy shopping centres, ride on public transport with the pup, mix them with children and basically allow the puppy to become accustomed to the array of smells and sounds of the outdoor world.
The puppy walker is responsible for teaching the pup some basic commands such as, sit, stay, down and come; they are not expected to teach the pup to walk to heel.
The pup remains with the walker for a year and then returns to the Guide Dogs. This is very much a day of mixed emotions for the puppy walker, they are happy to of helped train another dog but also very sad to see the pup leave.
Now the dogs must learn the next stage, to always walk in a continuous straight line and to remain in the middle of the pavement unless there is an obstacle in the way. Not to go around corners unless their owner instructs them to. How to deal with busy, heavy traffic. To always stop at kerbs and to await the command to commence walking again. To use its ability to judge their owners size and calculate items so their owner does not hurt themselves.
Most dogs will stay with their owners until they reach the age of seven and then they are retired, generally being kept as the household pet with the same person or homed somewhere else.
Hearing dogs work closely with an owner who is partially or profoundly deaf. The dog is trained to alert their owner when things happen, a gentle pat on the arm from the dog’s paw will inform the owner that the alarm clock is ringing or there is someone at the front door.
If the dog hears danger such as a smoke alarm, it will alert the owner by firstly tapping their arm with a paw and then falling to the floor and lying in a special, alert position. Many deaf people retreat into their own little silent world, owning a specially trained dog can alter their view of life considerably.
The Dogs for the Disabled team train dogs to work with disabled children and adults to assist them to cope with everyday life. The aim is to try to achieve the highest level of independence that the disabled person can. The dogs are trained to carry out various tasks from fetching in the milk bottle holder to emptying the washing machine. They can pick items up that have been dropped, fetch items for their owner such as slippers, open and close doors and accompany a child to school whilst also carrying their school books. The dogs are even trained to remove articles of clothing without nibbling the person!
All these dogs are remarkable and they work tirelessly to help their owners, bringing so much independence into their lives.
