From the time they were
domesticated, dogs have proven their unconditional love towards humans time and
again. Dogs have been loyal companions to man since time immemorial, and today
have become an integral part of his daily life. Dogs accompany man everywhere
from homes to trips, even outer space. (Laika was the first dog to accompany
astronauts into outer space). Now, a bunch of dog breeds are expressing their
devotion to humans by being their eyes — helping the blind cross busy roads,
navigate crowded passages and even flush the toilet for them. These dogs that
are specially trained to guide the blind are the heroic of the hero dogs, never
off duty and always on their Master’s side. These are Seeing Eye Dogs or guide
dogs.
In many countries, guide dogs, along
with most service and hearing dogs, are exempt from regulations against the
presence of animals in places such as restaurants and public transportation.
Although, the dogs can be trained to navigate several obstacles, they are
partially (red-green) colour blind and are not capable of interpreting street
signs. The human half of the team does the directing, based upon skills
acquired through previous mobility training. The handler is akin to an
aircraft's navigator, who must know how to get from one place to another, and
the dog is the pilot, who gets them there safely.
How it all began.
References to guide dogs date at
least as far back as the mid-16th century; the second line of the popular verse
alphabet "A was an Archer" is most commonly "B was a Blind-man/Led
by a dog" In the 19th century verse novel Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth
Barrett Browning, the title character remarks, "The blind man walks
wherever the dog pulls/and so I answered".
The first guide dog training
schools were established in Germany during World War I, to enhance the mobility
of returning veterans who were blinded in combat. The United States followed
suit in 1929 with The Seeing Eye in Nashville, Tennessee (relocated in 1931 to
Morristown, New Jersey). One of the founders of The Seeing Eye was America's
first guide dog owner, Nashville resident Morris Frank. Frank was trained with
Buddy, a German Shepherd, in Switzerland in the year 1928.
The first guide dogs in Great
Britain were German Shepherds. Three of these first were Judy, Meta and Folly,
who were handed over to their new owners, veterans blinded in World War I, on
October 6, 1931. Judy's new owner was Musgrave Frankland. In 1934, The Guide
Dogs for the Blind Association in Great Britain commenced Morris Frank with
Buddy operation.
The first known attempt to train
guide dogs happened at a hospital for the blind in Paris in 1780. In 1788, a
sieve-maker in Vienna was said to have trained a dog so effectively for his own
use that people mistook him for a sighted person.
In the 19th century, the concept
of guide dog training made it into print. Johann Wilhelm Klein, the founder of
a school for the blind in Vienna, wrote an 1819 textbook that describes the
training of a guide dog using a rigid leash, although no one knows whether his
theories were ever used. The modern guide dog movement, however, began with one
remarkable German shepherd.
“Even if the government did make
it legal to allow dogs into public spaces like offices, malls, restaurants,
etc, the infrastructure would let the disabled down. Further, despite India’s
growing affection for pets, let’s face it, the majority of the population would
not tolerate them in public and would certainly be uncooperative”
Important studies on the
behaviour and training methods of guide dogs were conducted in the 1920s and
1930s by Jakob Von Uexkull and Emanuel Georg Sarris. They studied the nuances
of guide dogs and introduced advanced methods of dog training.
.jpg "Rutaksha Rawat")
