Blogger who has guide dog responds to PETA's disapproval of service animals

A few points from the Penny for Your Thoughts blog. Read the full blog entry at GettingHired.com:

When the LA Times http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/01/when-we-first-r.html recently interviewed PETA's Vice President for Cruelty Investigations, Daphna Nachminovitch, this, in part, is what she had to say about guide dogs: “…we oppose most seeing-eye-dog programs because the dogs are bred
as if there are no equally intelligent dogs literally dying for homes in shelters, they are kept in harnesses almost 24/7, people are prohibited from petting or playing with them and they cannot romp and run and interact with other dogs; and their lives are repeatedly disrupted (they are trained for months in one home and bond, then sent to a second, and after years of bonding with the person they have "served," they are whisked away again because they are old and no longer "useful")…”

What guide dog training programs is this person talking about? What a chorus of misinformation, baseless assumptions, and unsubstantiated so-called “facts!” As the proud and grateful graduate of Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation in Bloomfield, Connecticut, the appreciative partner of two wonderful guide dogs, one retired and the other enjoying life as a nearly nine-year-old working dog, as a member and board member of Guide Dog Users, Incorporated (GDUI), as a person who is acquainted with hundreds of service animal users, school representatives and trainers, and a person who is on a first-name basis with many friends who are blind who have chosen to partner with guide dogs, let me disagree, unequivocally,, and vociferously!

First of all, “seeing eye” is a brand. “The Seeing Eye” is the name of one, venerable and renowned program that breeds and trains dogs to partner with and guide people who are blind and visually impaired. The Seeing Eye’s is the oldest such program in the United States. It is not the only such program. There are more than a dozen other guide dog schools, there are subtle differences between programs that allow students to choose, for various reasons, one school’s program over another’s, and together, they graduate thousands of guide dog teams each year.

Although many guide dog schools breed their own dogs, to guarantee that the majority of their dogs will have the characteristics, including health, temperament, and intelligence, that will allow them to provide reliable service to their blind and visually impaired partners over a reasonably long, and happy, lifetime, there are, in fact, some schools who adopt dogs from shelters and individuals and invest the
time and energy to train them for lifetimes of service, but most guide dog training programs choose to breed their own dogs or rely upon trusted breeders who understand the characteristics they seek in potential guide dogs.

Although it might be romantic to think about rescuing animals from shelters to give them chances for second lives as working dogs, if every guide dog training program were to choose that course of action, the number of available dogs would likely be substantially reduced, and the number of successful teams would also be substantially limited. After all, the “typical” (if there is such a thing) shelter resident comes from a living situation that had, for one reason or another, to be discontinued and may not have been bred with considerations for health or temperament or intelligence in mind, and may have been exposed to minimal training at best. How many of these dogs could we realistically expect to succeed as working dogs with the rigorous demands for intellect, flexibility, and good health that describe a successful service dog. It is good that families who are seeking pets can go to shelters to
find that perfect match for their children and lifestyles. My own family
has, over the years, adopted a number of much treasured and well loved kitties from animal shelters.

It is also good that the guide dog schools have breeding programs, that they have poured time, energy, and dollars into breeding dogs that can be expected to meet the needs of their disabled partners for intellect, wellness, temperament, and enthusiasm for work. Although there are some people who select their own dogs and train their dogs themselves, I am not, and will never be, one of those people, and I am grateful that Fidelco invested so much time and energy in their breeding program. Tess’s lineage is from East Germany, where the breed was protected and strengthened for many years by virtue of the isolation that resulted from the Cold War political climate. Fidelco developed their expertise in breeding over more than four decades, and I am grateful to have a guide dog who benefits – as do I – from that experience and that expertise. Graduates from other guide dog programs who have worked tirelessly to ensure good breeding, healthy dogs, and competent working partners
are just as grateful as I for those investments by their own schools.

Now for the claim that our guide dogs are “kept in harness almost 24-7,” whose guide dog is Ms. Nachminovitch referring to? My dog is in harness when she is working, i.e., when we are traveling together through the built or natural environment. When she’s not working, i.e., we’re not going out or I am not in a professional working situation, Tess’s harness is draped over the railing in my entrance hall or some other convenient place. Neither I nor Tess can work 24-7, and neither can the human and canine partners who make up other guide dog team partnerships. The claim that guide dogs are confined to harness virtually 24-7 is so ludicrous it would be laughable, if it weren’t being employed to inflame animal lovers and to denigrate a program that benefits tens of thousands of people who are blind.

The harness is not uncomfortable, and when I pick it up and Tess understands (immediately) that we’re about to go somewhere where she will be working, her enthusiasm and excitement are boundless! German Shepherds are quite vocal, and Tess is especially so. Her exuberant outburst upon realizing that she’s about to be asked to, “Come to harness,” and the way she wiggles with excitement and wags her whole body with anticipation are so all-consuming of her energy and ability to concentrate that sometimes I have to ask her to sit for just a minute so she can “contain herself,” and I can get the harness over her head! Tess loves her dog bed, she adores her back yard, she is happy to be riding in a car and thrilled to hop onto an escalator or jump underneath a seat on the subway, but being in harness is her favorite state of being! When we are working, Tess is wearing her harness. When we are not, she is not wearing the harness. She’s happy out of harness, and even happier in harness. Tess is not some “exception that proves the rule;” our dogs love to work, and every guide dog I have known loves to jump into that harness and go “Forward!”

Pets cannot accompany their owners to all that many places. By necessity, they are often left, unaccompanied, at home, even in homes where they are cared for by families who love them. Our guide dogs, on the other hand, because we depend on them for our personal safety, accompany us everywhere. They are not left alone for hours on end, while we go off to the office, to the movies, to the library or the grocery store. That’s why our bonds with our dogs are so strong, and being able to come along is a major benefit of the working lifestyle for our guide dogs.