Guide dog

Guide dogs (colloquially known in the US as seeing-eye dogs[1])

are assistance dogs trained to lead blind or visually impaired
people around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate
various obstacles, they are red–green colour blind and incapable of
interpreting street signs. The human does the directing, based on
skills acquired through previous mobility training. The handler
might be likened to an aircraft's navigator, who must know how to
get from one place to another, and the dog is the pilot, who gets
them there safely. In several countries guide dogs, along with most A blind man is led by his guide dog
in Brasília, Brazil.
other service and hearing dogs, are exempt from regulations
against the presence of animals in places such as restaurants and
public transportation.

History
References to service animals date at least as far back as the mid-
16th century. The second line of the popular verse alphabet "A was
an Archer" is most commonly "B was a Blind-man/Led by a
dog".[2] In Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 19th-century verse novel A blind woman learns to use her
Aurora Leigh, the title character remarks, "The blind man walks guide dog in a test environment.
wherever the dog pulls / And so I answered."[3] Guide dogs are
also mentioned in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol: "Even the
blind men's dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming
on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would
wag their tails as though they said, 'No eye at all is better than an evil
eye, dark master!' "

Evidence suggests that dogs may have been used as guides for the
visually impaired based on depictions of a blind-man being guided by
his dog on the wall of a house in Herculaneum, buried when Vesuvius
erupted in 79 CE.[4][5] This and other visual depictions indicate that dogs
have been common companions for the blind for thousands of years.
Additional material evidence would be required to positively assess their
use specifically as guides.

The first service dog training schools were established in Germany

during World War I, to enhance the mobility of returning veterans who A blind man with his guide
dog in Montreal, 1941
were blinded in combat. Interest in service animals outside of Germany
did not become widespread until Dorothy Harrison Eustis, an American
dog breeder living in Switzerland, wrote a first-hand account about a service animal training school in
Potsdam, Germany, that was published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1927. That same year, United
States Senator Thomas D. Schall of Minnesota was paired with a service animal imported from
Germany,[6] who was trained by the owner of LaSalle Kennels, Jack Sinykin of Minnesota.[7]

The service animal movement did not take hold in America until Nashville resident Morris Frank
returned from Switzerland after being trained with one of Eustis's dogs, a female German shepherd
named Buddy.[8] Frank and Buddy embarked on a publicity tour to convince Americans of the abilities of
service animals and the need to allow people with service animals access to public transportation, hotels,
and other areas open to the public. In 1929, Eustis and Frank co-founded The Seeing Eye school in
Nashville, Tennessee (relocated in 1931 to New Jersey).[9]

The first service animals in Great Britain were German Shepherds. Four of these first were Flash, Judy,
Meta, and Folly, who were handed over to their new owners, veterans blinded in World War I, on 6
October 1931 in Wallasey, Merseyside.[10] Judy's new owner was Musgrave Frankland.[11][12] In 1934,
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in Great Britain began operation, although their first
permanent trainer was a Russian military officer, Captain Nikolai Liakhoff, who moved to the UK in
1933.[12]

Elliott S. Humphrey was an animal breeder who trained the first guide dogs for the blind used in the
United States. Humphrey was hired to breed German shepherds at a centre in Switzerland that had been
set up by Dorothy Harrison Eustis of Philadelphia and began the work that led to the Seeing-Eye Dog
program.

The first dogs produced at the centre, known as Fortunate Fields, were used for military and police work
and for tracking missing persons. Then Humphrey trained German shepherds to guide the blind.

The Germans had developed a guide dog program during World War I, but Mr. Humphrey devised
different procedures and it is his that are followed in the United States.[13]

Research
Important studies on the behaviour and training methods of service animals were done in the 1920s and
1930s by Jakob von Uexküll and Emanuel Georg Sarris. They studied the value of service animals and
introduced advanced methods of training. There have also been important studies into the discrimination
experienced by people that use service and assistance animals.[14]

Breeds
Guide dog breeds are chosen for temperament and trainability. At the moment Golden Retrievers,
Labradors, Standard Poodles, German Shepherds, and Golden Retriever/Labrador crosses are most likely
to be chosen by service animal facilities.[15]

The most popular breed used globally today is the Labrador Retriever. This breed has a good range of
size, is easily kept due to its short coat, is generally healthy and has a gentle but willing temperament.[16]
Crosses such as the Goldador (Golden Retriever/Labrador), combine the sensitivity of the Golden
Retriever and the tolerance of the Labrador Retriever. Also
common are Labradoodles, i.e., Labrador/Poodles, are bred to help
reduce allergens as all breeds shed but levels vary.

Some schools, such as the Guide Dog Foundation, have added

Standard Poodles to their breed registry.[17] Although German
Shepherds were once a common breed used for guide work, many
schools have discontinued using these dogs due to the skills and
unwavering leadership role required by the handler to keep the
Labrador Retriever guide dogs
breed active and non-destructive.[15]
resting

Accessibility
Despite regulations or rules that deny access to animals in
restaurants and other public places, in many countries, service
animals are protected by law and therefore may accompany their
handlers most places that are open to the public. Laws and
regulations vary worldwide:

In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act

prohibits any business, government agency, or other
organization that provides access to the general public
from barring service animals, except where their
Labrador guide dog standing with its
presence would cause a health or safety risk. However,
handler
religious organizations are not required to provide such
access. Whether service animals in training have the
same rights or not usually falls on each individual state
government. Surprisingly, the ADA stipulates the
Veterans Hospitals system does not have to follow these
laws and can refuse admittance to military vets with
service animals. In addition, the Fair Housing Act
requires that landlords allow tenants to have service
animals, as well as other types of assistance animals, in
residences that normally have a No Pets policy and that
no extra fees may be charged for such tenants. The U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office
of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity investigates
complaints from the public alleging denials of reasonable
accommodation requests involving assistance
animals.[18]
In the United Kingdom the Equality Act 2010 (England,
Scotland, Wales) and Disability Discrimination Act 1995
(Northern Ireland) provides for people with disabilities to
have the same right to services supplied by shops, A guide dog-in-training in Israel
banks, hotels, libraries, pubs, taxis, and restaurants as
everyone else. Service providers have to make
"reasonable adjustments" to accommodate assistance dog owners. Under Part 12 of the EA
and part 5 of the DDA, it is illegal for assistance dog owners to be refused access to a taxi
or minicab with their assistance dog, but medical exemptions are available if drivers have a
certificate from their GPs.[19][20]
 In most South American countries and Mexico, service animal access depends solely upon
the goodwill of the owner or manager. In more tourist-heavy areas, service animals are
generally welcomed without problems. In Brazil, however, a 2006 federal decree requires
allowance of service animals in all public and open-to-public places. The Federal District
Metro has developed a program that trains service animals to ride it.
In Malta, the Equal Opportunities Act 2000 (Cap. 413) states that it is illegal to discriminate
against a disabled person who needs an assistant, in this case, a service animal. The few
exceptions are restaurant kitchens, hospital special wards, toilets and premises where other
animals are kept.[21]
In Australia, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 protects service animals handlers. Each
state and territory has its own laws, which may differ slightly.[22]
In Canada, service animals are allowed anywhere that the general public is allowed. Service
Animal laws by province:

Alberta: Blind Persons' Rights Act,[23] Service Dogs Act[24]

British Columbia: Guide Animal Act[25]
Manitoba: The Human Rights Code,[26] The Service Animals Protection Act[27]
New Brunswick: Human Rights Act[28]
Newfoundland & Labrador: Blind Persons' Rights Act,[29] Human Rights Act[30]
Northwest Territories: Human Rights Act[31]
Nova Scotia: Blind Persons' Rights Act,[32] Human Rights Act[33]
Nunavut: Human Rights Act[34]
Ontario: Blind Persons' Rights Act,[35] Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act,[36]
Human Rights Code[37]
Prince Edward Island: Human Rights Act[38]
Quebec: Individuals with Disabilities Act,[39] Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms[40]
Saskatchewan: Human Rights Code[41]
Yukon: Human Rights Act[42]
In South Korea, it is illegal to deny access to service animals in any areas that are open to
the public. Violators are fined no more than 2 million Korean Won.
In Portugal, service animals are allowed anywhere that the general public is allowed. The
Law - Decreto-Lei n.74/2007 - Establish their rights.[43]
In Switzerland, service animals are allowed anywhere that the general public is allowed.
In Russia, service animals are allowed anywhere that the general public is allowed. Guide
dogs are exempt from the fare charges in public transportation.

Discrimination
Since some schools of thought in Islam consider dogs in general to be unclean,[44] Muslim taxi drivers
and store owners have sometimes refused to accommodate customers who have service animals, which
has led to discrimination charges against them.[45] However, in 2003 the Islamic Sharia Council, a British
organization that provides non-binding guidance on interpreting Islamic religious law, ruled that the ban
on dogs does not apply to those used for guide work.[46]

Benefits of owning a guide dog

Studies show owning a pet or therapy animal offers beneficial
effects psychologically, socially, and physiologically, and guide
dogs are no exception. Some blind people report experiencing
increased levels of confidence, a greater sense of security, and a
cherished friendship from owning guide dogs. Some also state that
owning a guide dog has encouraged them to exercise more,
especially by walking.[47] This is attributed to a willingness to
venture outdoors facilitated by a sense of independence.[48] Some
blind people claim meeting others and socializing is easier with a
guide dog, and people are more likely to offer assistance when
Social psychologist Elliot Aronson
there is a service animal present.[47] The animals may also lead to
and his guide dog, Desilu, whom he
increased interactions with other people, providing an easy topic received in January 2011
of conversation.[48] Guide dogs may be more deliberate than the
use of a long cane when leading their handlers in an unfamiliar
place. The animal directs the right path, eliminating the trial and error users may experience with a cane.
Some report that guide dogs make the experience of the unknown more relaxing.[47] Many blind people
using a guide dog report travel is much faster and safer.[48]

Owners of guide dogs share a special bond with their animal. Many report that the animal is a member of
the family and, often, the handler goes to their animal for comfort and support. The animal is not seen as
a working animal, but more as a loyal friend.[47] However, it is important to remember that guide dogs
are working animals and should not be distracted or treated as a pet while they are on duty.

People often have misconceptions about guide dogs, including believing they work all the time. In reality,
the dogs usually work only when their handler leaves their residence. The handler tells the dog where
they want to go, and the dogs are taught intelligent disobedience—blocking the handler from proceeding
when there is an unsafe situation.

See also
Emotional support animal – Animal that provides psychological relief
Guide horse – Equine service animal assisting blind persons
List of guide dog schools
Service dog – Working dog trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability
White cane – Distinctive cane used in walking by the blind
Working dog – Dog trained to perform practical tasks
 Pet insurance

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External links
Media related to Guide dogs at Wikimedia Commons
"Directory of membership organizations" ([Link]
p://[Link]/[Link]). Assistance Dog
International. Archived from the original ([Link]
[Link]) on 27 October 2011.
"International Guide Dog Federation" ([Link] [Link].
"Legal information about service animals in the United States" ([Link]
[Link]). [Link].

Retrieved from "[Link]