Blind faith
- Source: Global Times
- [21:38 April 29 2010]
- Comments
A trained guide dog meets an owner for the first time in Shanghai Rehabilitation and Vocational Training Center for the Disabled in December 2008. Photos: IC
Training
The training of a guide dog goes through at least three phases. First, the puppies, Golden or Labrador Retrievers (two major breeds of guide dogs in China) are given to volunteer families for raising at 8 to 12 weeks of age. The raisers play an important role in training the dogs in basic commands and socializing the dogs in public areas.
Then the dogs are recalled for formal training at the school at approximately 14 to 18 months. They are continuously assessed during the formal training and about 80 percent are dropped from the program during the process. Trained dogs are finally matched with appropriate visually impaired individuals and the pair is trained with in-residence program for up to four weeks.
Qi is grateful for the experience of his stay in Dalian. In the first days, to acquaint him with the dog and the orders, a 28-year-old female trainer Jiang Dan played the role of a dog and took him around.
"She tied the harness and leash on her body and followed my orders to sit down, turn around and so on. It made me blush on the street," Qi said.
Each dog has passed through at least two groups of owners - the volunteer raisers and the trainers - before being paired with a blind person.
"A dozen of people came to see Vivian off at the airport when we left for Beijing," Qi said. "They were not waving to me but to their dog friend of three and a half years.
Legal gray zone
Despite the convenience guide dogs bring to the blind, there is no regulations in China at present that guarantee a legal identity to the dogs.
Currently, ownership of big dogs like Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever in Beijing is restricted, and big dogs are barred from public places. Since guide dogs are a new phenomenon in the country, they are not an exception under the law.
Ping said that her dog Lucky, a 1.4-meter-long Golden Retriever, was barred from public places quite a few times.
"Lucky and I went to a local restaurant the other day. The dog took me to a quiet corner but a man said the dog scared his son and insisted that we should leave," Ping said.
"As I don't have a formal permit for the dog, they didn't allow me to explain and threatened to call the police. I was angry and humiliated, and have decided never to go to the restaurant again."
The current laws and regulations concerning guide dogs in China are ambiguous. According to Article 58 of the Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons, blind owners shall observe the relevant provisions of the country when entering a public place. But it does not name the exact provisions to follow. In practice, the guide dogs do not have a legal identity card and the blind owners need to ask for permission every time they appear in public.
Qi said he has not been kept out of any public place yet. He took two dog certificates issued by the Dalian base, one indicating the dog is in good health and the other saying that under the Constitution of China, the blind are entitled to use guide dogs.
"The lawmakers are being cautious about issuing formal identity cards to big guide dogs because once an exception is made, then those who are not blind are also likely to take advantage of the loopholes to raise big dogs," Li Weihong said.
"The association is currently focused on facilitating the use of the guide dogs in practice. For instance, we have got permissions from the transportation department for the guide dogs to board subways, trains and air flights. The bus is an exception because it is too crowded in big cities," Li said.
