We still know too little about guide dogs.

　　Recently, a video of "Traffic Police Dressing as a Blind Man and Taking a Guide Dog by Bus" triggered a heated discussion among netizens. In the video, the bus driver refused the blind man played by the traffic police to take the guide dog on the bus, and some passengers accused him of "don’t let you sit" and "don’t delay everyone’s time". Later, the original owner of the guide dog responded to the media that such a thing happened almost every day.

　　And this kind of news is not the first time.

　　In fact, many places have been implementing the rule that "blind people can carry guide dogs in and out of public places or take public transportation", but in real life, it is still common for blind people to be refused to carry them because of carrying guide dogs.

　　In the final analysis, it is because we know so little about guide dogs.

　　How difficult is it to domesticate a guide dog?

　　Guide dogs are dogs that provide guidance services for the visually impaired. They can help the blind to walk independently and maintain a normal life.

　　Domesticating a guide dog requires the following four processes.

　　First, screening puppies.

　　Because guide dogs need to be non-aggressive, the selection of breeds is very limited. According to the national standard of Guide Dogs, which came into effect in December 2018, Labrador retriever and Golden retriever should be selected for guide dog selection.

　　This is not enough. Guide dogs and puppies need to have a complete pedigree, with clear sources of three generations, no genetic defects, strong curiosity and overly lively personality.

　　Guide dogs must also have their own independent and calm thinking and judgment, and they should not be too quick or too slow to respond to things around them.

　　In a litter of seven or eight puppies, it is very lucky that one or two can meet the screening conditions.

　　Second, grow up to 12 months old in foster families.

　　Because it is necessary to establish a master-slave relationship between guide dogs and people, puppies need to be raised in foster families until they are 12 months old after selection.

　　This is completely different from keeping a pet dog. Foster families can’t take care of puppies according to their personal preferences, otherwise the training process for adult dogs will be quite long and even eliminated.

　　During this period, puppies should be trained in stability, adaptability, obedience and socialization to live with others, and they should develop good living habits and correct their bad behaviors.

　　Third, training guide dog skills in the training base.

　　After the end of foster care, the training base will conduct another evaluation, and qualified dogs can begin to receive guide dog skills training.

　　They need to master these skills:

　　When going up the steps, the guide dog needs to step on the steps with two front feet to remind the owner.

　　When going down the steps, the guide dog needs to stop in front of the steps.

　　When encountering the road, guide dogs need to make their owners cross the road safely according to their own judgment.

　　When looking for a road, guide dogs need to find their own way suitable for people to walk, and can’t lead their owners to the lawn.

　　When there are other dogs around, guide dogs need to restrain their nature and not be distracted.

　　Because they only eat once a day, guide dogs can only eat after hearing instructions.

　　In the face of violent noise and strong light, guide dogs can’t react violently.

　　……

　　Only after this series of training can guide dogs "take up their posts", and behind this is actually the tireless teaching of the trainer.

　　In an interview with CCTV, wangxin, the trainer of Dalian Training Base for Guide Dogs in China, once said that her classmates organized a party for the 20th anniversary of high school graduation, but she replied that she might not be able to go because this job "has no Saturdays" and she "doesn’t go home at night".

　　Why is the work so heavy? Wangxin said that this job "is unexpected to them (the blind), and there can be nothing we can’t do". "Even if it is unqualified, no matter how perfect it is, it is not a qualified guide dog and can’t work, which is human life".

　　Fourth, conduct joint training with users.

　　Before the guide dogs are delivered to the users, they should be trained together for at least one month. During this period, they should live together for 24 hours, grooming, feeding, taking the dogs to the toilet and so on.

　　This is to cultivate intimate relationship, make guide dogs adapt to users, obey users’ instructions and guide users to travel safely.

　　There are fewer guide dogs than giant pandas.

　　According to the data of China Association for the Blind in May 2019, there are 17.31 million people with visual disabilities in China. There are only about 200 guide dogs in existence, which is less than that of giant pandas.

　　Dalian Training Base for Guide Dogs in China is the first training base for guide dogs in mainland China. According to an interview with CCTV reporters, since its establishment in 2006, more than 180 guide dogs have been successfully trained here.

Six prepared guide dogs graduated from the South Demonstration Base of China Guide Dogs. (Source Zhongxin. com)

　　How much does it cost to use such a rare guide dog for the blind?

　　Not a penny.

　　All guide dogs are delivered to the blind free of charge, but not all blind people are suitable for use. The training base will conduct a rigorous inspection of the blind applicants, including the living environment of the blind family, the physical condition of family members and the ability of the blind to walk independently.

Interview of Southern Probe to the Southern Demonstration Base of Guide Dogs in China in 2018

　　The cost behind these free guide dogs for the blind is not small at all.

　　According to CCTV reporter’s interview, it takes about one and a half years to train a guide dog in Dalian Training Base of China, and the cost is about 150,000-200,000. Although there are government subsidies and social donations, the base also opened an online shop to sell souvenirs such as guide dog calendars and T-shirts, but in the media reports in the early years, the base was still in a state of serious losses.

　

　　What should we do?

　　More than 17 million blind people, more than 200 guide dogs, and blind roads that are randomly occupied on the road.

　　Do blind people not want to go out? Is that they can’t go out.

　　It is understandable that some people are afraid of guide dogs without knowing them because they are afraid of dogs.

　　However, well-trained guide dogs will only wait quietly in public places and will not bring any trouble to people.

　　After understanding, can we try to accept them or not to exclude them?

　　Today is the last Wednesday in April, and it is also the International Guide Dog Day. The topic of # I am willing to walk with guide dogs # is hot, but don’t let it be just talk.

　

　　Remember, when ordinary people meet guide dogs on the road, there is a principle of "four no questions":

　　(The following content comes from official website, Dalian Training Base for Guide Dogs in China)

　　Four noes:

　　No feeding: Never feed a guide dog! Seeing-eye dogs are easily distracted by human food, which makes their owners in danger!

　　Don’t touch: Please don’t touch at will without telling the owner, the guide dog will be distracted.

　　Don’t call: please don’t make any noise to attract the attention of guide dogs, so as to avoid the danger of visually impaired people caused by the distraction of guide dogs.

　　Don’t refuse: seeing-eye dogs are the eyes of the visually impaired, and refusing to accompany them will cause great inconvenience.

　　Ask:

　　Take the initiative to ask: In case of seeing-eye disabled people with seeing-eye dogs, whether accompanied or not, please take the initiative to ask if you need help and provide assistance after obtaining consent.