The ABCs of the school that trains companions for the sight-impaired
Print Edition
EVERY guide dog begins training as a puppy, and those who don’t pass with flying colors are expelled from school.
Shanghai Daily talked with Chan Shu, who works at Shanghai Erxing Dog Guides School, to discuss the rigorous training.
Q: Tell us a bit about your school.
A: The Shanghai Erxing Dog Guides School, established in 2018, is committed to providing the most advanced training and excellent guide dogs for the visually impaired. The school became a member of the International Guide Dog Federation last year. So far, we have provided 21 guide dogs to owners in Shanghai.
Q: What breeds of dogs are appropriate for guide dogs?
A: Generally, there are four breeds of dogs that can be used as guide dogs — German Shepherds, poodles, Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers. We use Labrador Retrievers most often.
German Shepherds, which are commonly used in military and police roles, look a bit fierce but are very loyal. That means it’s hard to shift a dog from one owner to a new one if that becomes necessary. Poodles can at times be a bit peevish. If they make a mistake and are not punished, they will repeat the mistake time and time again. Golden Retrievers are good, but their long hair makes it difficult for the visually impaired to keep them clean and groomed.
We check a dog’s family history a few generations back to ensure there is no record of “ancestors” hurting people.
Q: How long is the training period?
A: When the puppies are between 45 days and 2 months old, they are screened to determine character and willingness to learn. Only a small number of them pass that initial test. When the pups are 1 year old, they begin training in more than 70 areas. That lasts six months to a year.
If they fail any test along the way, they are weeded out. Outstanding dogs can be trained to help special groups of people, like diabetics, autistic children and those suffering depression.
Q: What are the qualifications to get a guide dog?
A: We usually give priority to those with a strong need to get out and about, like people who have jobs. Household family members must be amenable to dogs and not be allergic to dog hair.
An applicant needs to be capable of caring for a dog and be willing for spot visits by us. They have to feed the dogs standard food and not junk food.
And finally, the characters of a prospective owner and a dog need to be compatible.
Q: How long does it take for a dog and owner to be paired?
A: For those with urgent needs who make application to our school, the screening and pairing process usually takes three weeks to one month. If the person and the dog get along very well from the start, it can be only two weeks.
Q: What happens to the dogs when their guide days are over?
A: The service period for a dog is eight years. After a guide dog is retired from active duty, the owner may apply for family members to assume care of the dog, or, alternatively, the school can look for family to adopt it. If all else fails, the dog can live at the school for the remainder of its life.
Q: Who pays for all this?
A: The guide dog school doesn’t make a profit from the dogs, but there are charity groups who contribute to the cost of the program. We have a “Cloud Dog-Keeping” program on our WeChat account, where people can pay 10 yuan (US$1.54) a month to “adopt” a guide dog at our school online.
We inform the “adoptive parents” of the conditions of their dogs regularly, with pictures, texts and videos.
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