The Week Junior•24 August 2019

S

ince30August 1934, 85 years ago,an

organisationcalled the Guide Dogs for the Blind

Association has been training dogs to assist people

across the UK. These talented animals support

people who areblind or haveavisual impairment,

which describesconditions that limit someone’s

ability to see and thatcan’t be fixed by wearing

glasses orcontact lenses.Lots of people who own

guide dogs say they have been given new

confidenceand freedom because theycantrust that

their dog will help them travel from placetoplace

safely.So, how wasthe charity set up,and what

exactly arethe dogs taught?

When did dogs first help blind people?

Although the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

(or just Guide Dogs)wasset up in 1934, the use of

s canbetracedback further.Therehave

mples of dogs being trained to help

sincearound 1780, whenahospital in

startedatraining programme. Guide

s became morecommonly used during

First World War(1914–18), when

sands of soldiers wereblinded by

onous gases.AGerman doctor,Gerhard

lling, set upaschool for dogs in August

916, whichwasthe first of its kind in

he world. Some people in the UK were

elped by these dogs.

e early days

e fact that thereare so many

guide dogs today is thankstot he

work of Dorothy Harrison Eustis,

an American who trained dogs for the army

and policeforcesinS witzerland. She heard

how dogscould help blind people and set up

atraining schoolcalled The SeeingEye, which

attracted the attention of two British women,

Muriel Crookeand Rosamund Bond. They worked

with one of Eustis’strainers inagarage inWallasey,

Merseyside, and in 1931, the first British guide dogs

wereready to work.

All about guide dogs

GuideDogsfortheBlindiscelebrating85yearsofchanginglives.

GUIDE DOGS

·GETTY IMAGES

·ALAMY

·REX SHUTTERSTOCK

The dogs who help tho

First weeks

Whentheyare betweensix and seven

weeks old, guide dog puppies go

to the National BreedingCentrein

Warwickshire. They aregiven names

(the pups ineach litter sharethe same

initial), and aresent to volunteer puppy

walkers around thecountry.

Training starts

Puppywalkers look after the dogs

from the age of seven weeksuntil

they start formal training when they

are14–16 months old. The dogs get

used towalking on the lead,waiting

for dinner,going to the toilet on

command, andcoming whencalled.

Off to school

The puppies then go to one of four

training schools to learn tasks, such as

how to locate doorways and cross the

road safely.They also learn to disobey

their owner ifacommand is dangerous,

such as being asked towalk forward

when there’sabig hole ahead.

Matched with anowner

At around the age of two,they pass

their training and get matched to a

new owner.Guide Dogs staff must

ensurethat the dog and its new owner

areagood fit. If everyone is happy

that the dog suits the owner,they will

spend at least six years together.

Dorothy Harrison Eustis set

up aspecial training school.

DIDYOU

KNO

W?

Tolook after and train a

guide dog from birth

to

retirement

cancos

tmore

than £55,000.

Aguidedog’slife

One of the
first UK guide
dog pairings.