Guide Dogs for the Visually Impaired March 7, 2020 History of Guide Dogs

• Records have shown dogs leading the blind in Asia and Europe in the Middle ages

• First attempt to organized training of dogs to aid blind people occurred around 1780 at a hospital for the blind in Paris

• 1788 - A blind Sieve -maker trained a dog so well, people questioned whether he was blind History

• In 1819, Johann Klein Founder of the Institute for the Education of the Blind in Vienna discussed the concept of training guide dogs and his method of training dogs

• In 1847 Jakob Birrer wrote of his experiences of being guided by a dog that he trained History

• Modern guide dogs really began after World War 1 due to many soldiers returning from the war blinded by poison gas

• German Doctor Gerhard Stalling trained groups of dogs to help the soldiers History

• he was walking with a blind patient and was called away, he left the dog with the patient • when he returned he could tell the dog was looking out for the patient • Dr. Stalling opened the world’s first guide dog school in August 1916 in Oldenburg History

• The school grew and branches opened across Germany

• The schools trained dogs for Servicemen and for blind people in Britain, France, Spain Italy, US, Canada and the Soviet Union

• Sadly the venture was closed down in 1926 due to the dog quality History

• by that time a training center had opened in Potsdam

• It was training 100 dogs a year and turning out 12 guide dogs a month

• At this time, a wealthy American woman Dorothy Eustis had been training dogs for the army, police and customs service in Switzerland History

• She studied the methods at the school in Potsdam

• Wrote an article about the school in the Saturday Evening Post in America in October 1927

• A 20 year old blind American man Morris Frank contacted Dorothy about introducing guide dogs to the US History

• She trained a dog, Buddy and brought Morris over to Switzerland to learn how to work with Buddy

• In June 1928, he came back to the US

• Doubtful reporters greeted him as he arrived

• He had previously boasted that Buddy could take him anywhere even across West Street which was known as Death Avenue as it was one of the city’s most dangerous streets

• She also established a school in Switzerland as well History

• Buddy led her master across the busy street amidst horses, blaring horns, and screeching brakes

• This was America’s first time to see a guide dog working

• Due to his success, Dorothy started a school in New Jersey in 1929 and one in Switzerland History

• She named both schools the Seeing Eye from a proverb in the Old Testament ‘the hearing ear and seeing eye’

• Since then guide dog schools have opened all over the world and more open every decade

• Thousands have been helped by guide dogs Morris and Buddy

• Buddy Morris Frank

• crossing

• West St. Morristown, NJ

The Seeing Eye

• The seeing eye dog is a registered trademark of Seeing Eye, Inc. - only dogs trained at seeing eye can be called Seeing eye dogs

• Dogs trained at other schools are called guide dogs The Seeing Eye

• was the first school in the US and remains at the forefront of instruction of dogs for guide work

• Trained to guide their handlers around obstacles on the ground or overhead

• alert their owners to elevation changes so they do not trip The Seeing Eye

• They receive training to help their owner navigate street crossings

• trained with a sense of intelligent disobedience

• They are taught to ignore a command if that puts the safety of their owner in jeopardy Crossing a Street

• at the approach of a curb, the handler listens for traffic and gives the dog the “ forward “ command when the traffic is moving parallel to the crossing

• The dog has to watch for traffic and keep the handler safe from cars turning right or cars running traffic lights

• They have the most rigorous traffic training program in the country Breeding a Seeing Eye Dog

• They have a separate breeding station

• provides an atmosphere to promote the healthy upbringing and positive early life for puppies that will be seeing eye dogs Best Breeds

• The main breeds for guide dogs are Labrador retrievers, golden Retrievers, lab/golden crosses, German shepherds and for allergy sufferers standard poodles

• These breeds are used because they like to have a job to do, thrive on praise and are the right size to work next to a person without getting lost underfoot in crowds Best Breeds

Breeds Breeding

• Female dogs that are bred retire after 4 years

• Male dogs sire 8-10 litters

• a lot of research goes into breeding the most healthy, productive, predictable and reliable guide dogs possible Breeding

• Labrador

• litter Puppies

• Puppies are born at the breeding station and remain with their mothers for about 7 weeks

• The puppies experience more in their first few weeks alive than most puppies do in their first year of life

• Volunteers hold, pet and play with the puppies Exposure

• The puppies are exposed to many sights, sounds and surfaces

• Vacuum cleaners, strollers and mannequins are a few of the objects used to familiarize puppies with every day sights and sounds

• At 4 weeks, they go to a special play room that has fun toys, various tactile surfaces and stairs Exposure

• A CD plays thunderstorms, crowd noises, babies crying and sounds from the outside world

• The volunteers wear funny hats and glasses to desensitize the puppies

• They are introduced to a collar and leash to make the transition to a puppy raiser Breeding

• Puppies Puppy Raisers

• At age 7 or 8 weeks the puppies are delivered to the homes of puppy raisers that care for the puppies until they are age 13- 16 months

• Teach the puppy basic manners and commands • socialize them to a variety of social situations from shopping to car rides, visiting airports to boarding planes Training

• at 13- 16 months old when the puppies are returned to The Seeing Eye for the first month they undergo health screenings, they are neutered or spayed and given a dental cleaning

• each dog is assigned to a Seeing Eye Instructor

• They train them for 4 months Training Methods

• Taught with repetition and praise

• Clicker training is used to help the dog’s skill in targeting specific objects

• Mid point of training the instructors wear a blind fold and talk a walk with their dog to test their abilities

• At the end of the training, the blindfolded walk is repeated to be sure the dogs are ready to begin working Training

• Obstacles used in training Training

• After the 4 month training cycle, the instructor enters a class to train the dog’s new owners

• New owner training is 25 days

• Returning owner is 18 days

• Dogs must form a bond with their handler to be an effective Seeing eye dog Admissions Requirements

• the best candidates for a Seeing Eye dog

• possess the physical, mental and emotional capability of handling the training with a Seeing Eye dog • Determined by referrals, interviews, and a physician's report Admission Requirements

• Must be between 16-75

• capable of walking 1-2 miles a day

• able to receive and give instruction

• need to have an active daily routine Admission Requirements

• a degree of vision that would not interfere with a safe and effective relationship with the dog

• Sufficient hearing ability to work with the dog

• Independent travel skills

• clean living and working environment

• Maturity and temperament to handle the responsibilities of caring for a Seeing Eye dog The Match

• During the 4 month training period the instructor keeps track of the dogs’ work styles

• Application process includes a Juno walk- where an instructor plays the role of the Seeing Eye dog and guides the person

• Instructor evaluates how fast they walk and how much pull a person needs The Match

• The person’s work and home environment is compared to how well the dog did in those environments

• The dog’s personality and energy level are considered as well in the process Career Change Dogs

• if a puppy can not complete the training

• they are called career change dogs

• they may become law enforcement dogs, search and rescue dogs or a loving pet

• First to be asked if they want to adopt a dog is the puppy raiser Career Change Dogs

• next the dog is offered to law enforcement

• If a dog does not work for law enforcement , then it is offered to the public

• Dogs that are offered are between 1.5 and 4 years

• have received obedience training and are house broken Career Change Dogs

• Dogs that have retired from being a guide dog are 7 or older

• Waiting list for public adoption is 1- 4 years

• Donors that have donated a recent gift of $25,000 or more have reduced wait times Career Change Dogs

• Adoption fee of $1,000

• Senior dogs or dogs with health issues are available at a reduced fee

• Must submit an application form and call every 6 months to let them know you want the application active Guide Dogs in Public

• Under Title 11 and 111 of the American with Disabilities Act state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and business such as establishments that sell or prepare food, health care facilities, recreational settings that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is allowed to go. Service Animals

• Under the ADA, a service animal is defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities

• examples of tasks • guiding a blind person, alerting a deaf person, pulling a wheel chair, reminding a person with mental illness to take medication, calming a person with PTSD during an anxiety attack Emotional Support

• The task a service dog does must be directly related to the person’s disability

• Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support are not considered service animals under the ADA

• Certain states have broader requirements to define service animals than the ADA Wisconsin Statute

• Wisconsin law follows the ADA requirement closely Business Rights

• When it is not apparent that a dog is a service animal a business can ask 2 questions • Is the animal required because of a disability? • What task has the animal been trained to perform? Business Rights

• Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability

• Can’t require medical documentation

• Can’t require special identification or training documentation of the dog

• Can’t ask the dog to demonstrate it’s task Excluding Service animals

• A business can only exclude a service animal if the dog is out of control and the handler can not regain control or if a dog is not housebroken • Allergies or fear of dogs is not a reason to exclude a service animal Allergies

• if a person who is allergic to dog dander and a person who uses a service animal must spend time in the same facility or room, both should be accommodated by assigning them to different rooms or different locations within the room ADA

• people with disabilities who use service animals cannot be isolated form other patrons

• cannot be treated less favorably

• cannot be charged fees that are not charged to other patrons without animals ADA

• if a business charges a fee or deposit for pets like a hotel or rental car, they cannot charge that fee to a person with a service animal

• however if a business charges a fee if damage is done by the patron or their animal, they can charge a person with a service animal if damage is done by the person or their animal Food Establishments

• service animals are allowed even if health code prohibits animals in these establishments Health Care Facilities

• According to the CDC, no evidence suggests that dogs pose a more significant risk of transmitting infection than people

• patients, visitors, instructors, volunteers, students, employees, and others with service animals are permitted in all areas of the facility unless an individual’s situation or a particular dog poses greater risk than can be mitigated with reasonable measures Health Care Facilities

• if health care personnel, visitors and patients are permitted to enter care areas, such as inpatient rooms, some ICU’s and public areas without donning gloves, gowns, or masks, then clean, healthy service animals are allowed access as well

• if immunocompromised patients can receive visitors without using protective garments then service animals can not be excluded Health Care facilities

• Veterinary certificates cannot be required unless there is reason to believe the animal is not in good health

• Health care personnel are not responsible for the care and supervision of the service animal, if a patient is confined to a bed, a family member or friend may assume the responsibility of taking the dog out several times day for exercise and elimination Emergency Situations

• In emergencies, responders may temporarily need to provide immediate care for the dog until the patient is able to do so Places of Lodging

• Hotels, motels, campgrounds and other places of lodging • guests with service animals are allowed access to dining rooms, pools, salons and spas like any other paying guest Recreational Settings

• parks, theaters, sports stadiums, museums and other recreational facilities • any limitation of use of service animals must be shown to be necessary for safe operation of the facility Zoos

• Zoos or other places with animals may have to restrict access if the dog’s presence would pose a direct threat to the health and safety of the animals Recreational Setting

• National Parks require the owner of the service animal to obtain a special permit allowing access to its backcountry or other restricted areas of the park Amusement Parks

• A ride by ride assessment is made to address safety concerns before excluding service animals from rides

• Recreation and fitness centers generally prohibit guide dogs from being in pool water Guide Dog Etiquette

• if a guide dog is wearing their halter, they need to focus on work • do not try to pet them, give them treats or bring your dog over to them, it is respectful to let the person know you are nearby with a dog • If the dog is not wearing it’s halter, you may ask the handler if it is OK to pet the dog and say hello, when they are not working they enjoy attention DOCUMENTARY

• There is a documentary on Amazon Prime called

• The Pick of the Litter about a litter of puppies being trained to be Seeing Eye Dogs Conclusion

• there are about 10,000 guide dogs currently working in the United States

• it can cost up to 64,000 dollars to create each working dog partnership

• Additional information is available at The Seeing Eye website