Guide dogs gaining acceptance
Print Edition
HEIMENGMENG, a 4-1/2-year-old guide dog, is more than just an assistant to Chen Yan — it is her companion, family and beyond.
“My job requires me to travel frequently. Simply relying on a cane, with no guide dog, would be risky for me,” said Chen, a visually impaired piano tuner, adding that the devoted black Labrador knows its tasks well and resolutely fulfills them.
Chen is well regarded for her skills. She goes door to door tuning piano for customers. With the help of her guide dog, she has been to almost every corner of Beijing and even served people in other cities.
Like police dogs and search and rescue dogs, guide dogs also have to go through strict screening and training. According to China’s national standards for guide dogs issued in 2018, a candidate dog should have a complete pedigree and a clear origin of three generations with no record of aggression, or genetic defects.
Their entire life traverses through four stages — fostering, training, service and retirement. The service period is between 6 and 10 years.
Teng Weimin, former vice chairman of the China Association of the Blind, said that there are 17 million blind people in China, of which 9 million in employment.
According to international standards based on the above figures, China currently has a requirement of 500 guide dogs, but has only about 200 as the concept of a guide dog is fairly new, Teng said.
From the experiences with Jenny, Chen’s first guide dog, to Heimengmeng, who has been with her for more than two years now, she personally feels that Chinese society is becoming more accepting of guide dogs.
“I was refused entry into almost all public spaces with a guide dog years back. I could even espy Jenny’s visible sadness,” Chen said, adding that many were afraid that guide dogs would defecate or even attack people.
“I believe it’s not because people are unkind, but because they don’t know about guide dogs,” she added.
Over the past decade, Chen has been trying to create more public awareness of guide dogs through her books, paintings and social media platforms. Her short videos have drawn tens of thousands of followers online.
“Now even the hospital allows Heimengmeng to accompany me in the ward,” she said. “Patients are also willing to share a ward with me despite knowing I have a guide dog. I feel very gratified.”
China introduced the regulations on barrier-free environment construction in 2012, which clearly stipulates that staff in public places should provide barrier-free services to visually impaired people with guide dogs.
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