What do you think of seeing eye dogs? Whether it is the amount of puppies bred for them, or just a dog in general used for a seeing eye dog. Are there other options? It's something I often wonder about.

I think 'blind dogs' are great for blind people.
I don't know too much about the whole process but I think the pups would of been bred anyway (ie they are not specifically bred to be seeing eye dogs).
Other options? A white stick & dark glasses perhaps...

I don't have a problem with aid dogs. As far as I know, they don't need to be bred specifically for the purpose. Dogs are chosen from litters and trained. They are tested along the way and either pass or fail. Rescued dogs can be trained, as well. I don't think the number of guide dogs in the world is enough for it to be a huge issue, but I hadn't ever really thought about it.

I once met a trainer of aid dogs. From what I remember, the dog was pampered beyond belief. There was training as well, but it was gentle, humane and loving. I believe this to be the case for most service animals as well.

sean

A friend of mine had a "retired" seeing eye dog. (The dog was going blind, sadly enough.)

It seemed happy.

I have no problem with people having seeing eye dogs. Those dogs are showered with love, and are not being mistreated in anyway (at least not by the vast majority of people who own them, there probably are a few bad owners just as there are everywhere else). I think they are great--both the blind person and the dog gets exactly what they need; the blind person gets a set of eyes, and the dog gets a loving home.

I don't see any problem with it either, as long as they are well taken care of. I saw a show about an organization breeding pups to be seeing eyes dogs and I was kind of startled that this one organization alone breeds 200 litters a year and not many "qualify" after the training, which is a lot of puppies. However, they do have approved families waiting on lists to adopt a puppy.

I wish I had a service dog just as an excuse to take them everywhere :)

I wish I had a service dog just as an excuse to take them everywhere :)
Me too. :)

It would be kind of neat if someone opened a restaurant that allowed dogs.

I have no problem with seeing eye dogs. In fact, I think they are among some of the best treated dogs. They are relied on - they are someone's set of eyes. Plus they are expensive to train, so they are valued. There is usually a very loving relationship between the dog and their owner. The dog gets to go everywhere, and isn't left behind when it's owner goes out. The dog gets to work - which keeps them occupied - gives their brains a workout and keeps them from being bored.

And the dogs are just so darned cute. Those charities are the only one I cannot walk by -whenever I see them, I always have to donate ...

I have seen people with seeing eye/service dogs only twice in my life, and both times the dogs seemed stressed and unhealthy. one dog had a flaky dirty coat and red rimmed eyes, and was overweight. the dog had a look that remnded me of when you see large animals in small cages in zoos. despondent. I called the org. that was on the dog's jacket and left a message, but noone ever called me back.
the second one was a dog in a crowded train that the owner shoved to get it to go under the seat of the train, and it kinda whimpered a little and had that worried dog look.
not saying that all owners of service dogs treat their dogs badly but I do wonder what the screening process is and training of the humans in caring for a service dog.

I have seen people with seeing eye/service dogs only twice in my life, and both times the dogs seemed stressed and unhealthy. one dog had a flaky dirty coat and red rimmed eyes, and was overweight. the dog had a look that remnded me of when you see large animals in small cages in zoos. despondent. I called the org. that was on the dog's jacket and left a message, but noone ever called me back.
the second one was a dog in a crowded train that the owner shoved to get it to go under the seat of the train, and it kinda whimpered a little and had that worried dog look.
not saying that all owners of service dogs treat their dogs badly but I do wonder what the screening process is and training of the humans in caring for a service dog.

:down: That's not good. All the ones I've seen seemed quite happy and content. When they set up at the store I used to work at to collect donations, the dog had a rug to lay on and everything....

yeah, the first dog was a black lab, and it was over 10 years ago. I will never forget that.

I think I am going to try to contact some organizations and ask what they do to screen/train the applicants.

I have never seen a seeing eye dog. I want one. I'm not bland though. :lol:

I have never seen a seeing eye dog. I want one. I'm not bland though. :lol:You don't have to be bland to get a seeing eye dog. I know a couple of fun exciting people who have seeing eye dogs.

Just messing with you. If you're not blind and want a seeing eye dog, perhaps you could look into the rescue groups that train seeing eye dogs. It's a huge committment and a lot of work, but quite rewarding.

I have seen people with seeing eye/service dogs only twice in my life, and both times the dogs seemed stressed and unhealthy. one dog had a flaky dirty coat and red rimmed eyes, and was overweight. the dog had a look that remnded me of when you see large animals in small cages in zoos. despondent. I called the org. that was on the dog's jacket and left a message, but noone ever called me back.
the second one was a dog in a crowded train that the owner shoved to get it to go under the seat of the train, and it kinda whimpered a little and had that worried dog look.
not saying that all owners of service dogs treat their dogs badly but I do wonder what the screening process is and training of the humans in caring for a service dog.

That's crappy. I've never seen anything like that. All the ones I've seen have been well treated. So generally I support it. I'm curious to know what you find out about the screening process though.

I'm glad to know my experiences seem to be the exception.

I will post the replies when I get them.

My brother is partially sighted and thus has come across a lot of seeing eye dogs and their owners, as have I and certainly it would seem that such cases are the exception Purrpelle... if anything aid dogs (seeing and hearing) seem to be the healthiest and happiest dogs. Plenty of interaction, stuff to do, lots of love etc

A lot of our dog breeds were bred to be working dogs, and they get bored and frustrated if they don't have anything to do. The life of a pampered pet isn't for them. So sure, I see that being a good enrichment activity for the dog as well as an excellent service for the blind human. I have also read that all other things being equal (i.e., barring abuse issues), circus animals tend to seem happier and more well-adjusted than zoo animals because like seeing eye dogs, they have lots of things to do rather than just sitting around.

Marie, I did see a thing on Food TV once about a restaurant that allowed dogs. I can't remember where it was or what it was called, though.

I've known several service dogs and their people.
Dierdra, a dog who was with a blind man, was not thrilled with crowds, so we would circle around her and give her, and her person, space at shows. She did have earplugs for the show.
She's recently retired and getting lazy! She deserves the time off. She did need to get a new home because she could no go off duty with her person around.
Wisconsin is a service animal with a mobility-impaired man (Wis can haul that chair, let me tell you) He's spoiled by his person's co workers. they save treats and get him toys (work is several hours of down time for Wis) to have at the office.
I've also known hearing dogs (one was trained one was in training) and a seizure alert dog.
All were basically well-trained animals. THe companion you wish everyone else has..at 2 am when the neighborhood dogs are barking for hours...

As far as I know, from what I've seen (on TV), guide dogs are frequently rescue dogs. There are guide dog training programs at certain prisons around the country. I have no problem with guide dogs; they help blind people get around, and canine lives are saved. They are also good for the prisoners who train them - the prisoners can't help but be affected by the dogs in their lives.

There is a woman in my husband's seminary class who has a service dog. Without him, she would not be able to walk. (She holds onto a bar on Russell's vest, and he supports her.) She is the school mascot. He will very gentlemanly stick his nose out asking for rubs and is very well-behaved. I'm on student council. One meeting last year I walk into the old chapel where other members have already arrived and formed a circle where they were tossing around one of Russell's toys. Anyway, he's great. She's great and he's definatly not neglected. (It's been joked that Russell is going to get an honorary degree when she graduates, seeing that he is sitting through all of her classes.) I saw them at the grocery store the other day. It was funny. Like any other dog, Russell was sniffing at the food at nose level, but he did know better than to just help himself. When I saw them, I thought about how cool it would be to have a dog I could take anywhere. :D

I think the concept is great. I guess like any other animals, there are good "owners" (for lack of better word) and there are bad "owners". The wife of my mom's now-deceased cousin trains service dogs. I met one of them. She was just a puppy, but already becoming well behaved. I thought it might be fun to do that, especially when I have kids, as both the dogs and the kids could learn from each other.

Laura

I think (and hope) there's a solution that will soon appear; genetic screening of embryoes..... those tagged as most likely being born blind can then be aborted, thus reducing the exploitation of canines.

I think (and hope) there's a solution that will soon appear; genetic screening of embryoes..... those tagged as most likely being born blind can then be aborted, thus reducing the exploitation of canines.

Sarcasm aside, people become disabled from non-genetic reasons. If I were in an accident that robbed me of my sight, I would most definitely want the help of a seeing eye dog.