Guide-Dogs-in-Training

One of the stories in our fifth grade textbook is about a mother who is blind. Her guide dog dies of old age, and the mother must go get and train a new guide dog. Each year I arrange to have a friend of a friend bring her guide-dog-in-training to our school. This woman and her family are active in 4-H, and one of their programs is to train guide dogs to become accustomed to people, commands, home environments, and outside environments.

Each family, who is chosen, receive their dog when it is two months old. They keep the dog for 18 months. After the 18 months, they send the dog up to San Rafael, CA to Guide Dog (official) Training.

This year Christine brought two dogs and another mother and daughter to tell us about guide dog training. The yellow lab's name is June, but they have nicknamed her Marley. If you've seen the movie you know that June must misbehave often! The black lab's name is Avalon.

Here are things you might find interesting about guide dogs and their training:

• Each dog in a litter has a name that starts with the same letter. And, there are no two names alike, of dogs who eventually end up at San Rafael. Their name and a number are tattooed into their ear.


• Only 25% of the dogs in training are actually accepted by the Guide Dog Training Center. So, what do they do with those other 75% of dogs? They offer them back to the trainers as pets. Or, they will sell the dog to someone who wants an extremely well trained dog.


• The dogs learn to eat on command, go to the bathroom on command, and play on command.


• Blind people, who qualify for a dog, receive their training and their dog free of charge.


• 4-H children must be at least 11 years old to apply to be a guide dog trainer.