The Secret World of Guide Dogs

[carc...@access.net]

Last week one of my local PBS stations showed a documentary from the UK called The Secret World of Guide Dogs, presented by Martin Cloones.  I haven’t seen it on any of the other PBS stations around here.  I finally watched it yesterday.

Martin adopted the retired guide of Jana Mystery, a blind fitness instructor.  It was her first guide dog, and Jana kept her for 2 years after deciding to retire her, until Jana could get a new dog.  There’s a long waiting list.  GDBA, the guide dog organization in the UK, brought a dog for her to try in her home area, I guess when the time was getting close for her training.  Later, she spent a few hours working with 5 dogs they were considering for her, each dog with its trainer.  That seems exhausting to me, but very interesting.  The dog she finally trained with was one of those dogs.  It didn’t say if she was part of the discussion as to the final choice. 

The trainer said the dog has to find things along the way to stay motivated, and gets a treat for finding whatever.  Huh.

 

Martin also met with a puppy-raising family, and with the breeding team.  Puppies are born in the home of the family keeping the breeder, and, so far as I can tell, the family names the puppies.  I’ve heard GDF does it that way, too.

When the dogs go back for training, they stay with foster families and go out for training during the day.  I think that’s a real interesting idea.  Some dogs don’t adapt well to kennel life, especially some goldens and shepherds, and sometimes they get dropped because they’re just too stressed.  That seems like a shame, because they’re never going to stay in a kennel for weeks again.  I think it would be great if they could just stay in a house, like they’re used to, and have a day job.  Dog commuters.

 

Anyway, those were the highlights.

Tracy

 

[Cindy Ray]

I think that sounds like a really neat idea. These pups, of course, are in homes for their first year. I wonder how stressful it really is for them to go back into kennel, Life, or into it, when they go to the schools. I kind of like the idea and I think it could be worth looking at.

Cindy Lou Ray

Sent from my iPhone

On May 31, 2025, at 9:49 AM, carc...@access.net wrote:



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