National Guide dog month recognizes dogs that take time away from fetch and wagging their tail to service the visually impaired.
Canines of all kinds are showing how they earned the title ‘man’s best friend,’ receiving recognition this month for National Guide Dog Month.
Lorri Bernson, media and community liaison for Guide Dogs of America, said that National Guide Dog month is a terrific idea to raise awareness.
“I think it’s great, “Bernson said. “It gives the public awareness of guide dogs and what they do. It shows how important they are to visually impaired people, like myself.”
Bernson had lost her vision 20 years ago due to diabetes, since then she has had two guide dogs: Nigel, who is a 16-year-old retiree, and Carter, who is her active guide dog.
J.W. Smith, a visually impaired Ohio University professor in the School of Communication Studies, has never had a guide dog, but said for the right reason he would consider getting an assistive companion.
“I would get (a guide dog) if I had a lot more international travel, they’re good for that I think,” Smith said. “I envy some of my friends who have guide dogs sometimes, in terms of their mobility and that companionship they seem to have established with their guide dog; it’s fantastic.”
Guide dogs begin their long journey of training at seven weeks old and typically graduate at the age of two. As part of their long journey, the dogs are trained to know when it’s OK to play and when they have to work through a special vest worn around their midsection.
“As (the dogs) are in puppy hood, when something’s on their back they should be very well mannered,” Bernson said. “Carter knows that when the harness is off, it’s play time or whatever time, but when the harness is on it’s like he’s clocked in.”
Smith discussed how — though Athens has jagged bricks and construction — it’s a walk in the park compared to where he has been.
“I think it’s easy for me, but it depends on who you talk to,” he said. “I’m from Chicago, Detroit, (which) are majors cities. So it’s a piece of cake for me but that might not be the case for someone else.”
Eric Young, superintendent at the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities, agreeing with Benson said he’s glad guide dogs are receiving recognition.
“I think it’s important to increase the public’s awareness of the benefits of guide dogs for persons who do not have sight,” Young said. “We haven’t had any experience with guide dogs for persons who have blindness, but we have had a girl here in our school who had a support dog for emotional reasons and that worked out good.”
In conjunction with guide dogs, Young thinks it’s very important to get the public aware of not just guide dogs but many different types of service dogs.
“It’s beneficial for them in several ways,” he said. “For having not just guide dogs but other service type dogs it makes (people who have disabilities) more comfortable, and feel safer. Especially with guide dogs it really increases the independence of the individual with the disability and that’s the whole goal.”
