Guide Dogs for the Blind

Jill's Journal: A month or two ago in school, the girls read “Follow My Leader,” a book about a boy who was blinded in an accident and reclaimed his confidence and independence with the help of a guide dog. It’s a wonderful book for young people and was definitely one of their (and our) favorites.

Today we had the wonderful privilege of visiting the national headquarters of Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, CA. It was not just a highlight of our week, but one of the highlights of our entire trip thus far. We got a 1 1/2-hour, private tour around the 11-acre campus, including in the kennel which is currently housing 350 guide dogs-in-training (this includes puppies) and the on-site veterinary clinic.

The work this facility does is phenomenal and tear-jerking. The empowerment they give sight-impaired adults can’t be measured. They essentially give people who have lost their sight from accidents, diabetes, or glaucoma, to name a few of the culprits, their lives and independence back. Many blind people describe the dogs as their soul mates and their best friends. The average age of students at Guild Dogs for the Blind is 50 and each student averages four service dogs over their lifetime (a dog’s average service time is 7 1/2 years).

The center began in 1942 as the first guide dog training school on the West Coast. It began with the intention of helping servicemen returning from World War II without their sight, but it’s impossible to even guess at the number of lives --from all walks-- it has impacted since then.

Guide Dogs for the Blind breeds all of its own dogs, so there is a long, known history behind each one and the temperaments and health that run in families. It exclusively uses Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, or a cross between the two. Only one of every two dogs that enter guide dog training actually becomes a service dog (and many of the puppies whelped on-site are culled long before guide dog training). Not only is training intense and disposition paramount, but sound health and eyes are equally important. The school ruthlessly disqualifies any dog from training (and breeding) who doesn’t meet the highest marks in all areas. Dogs even learn to go against all their instincts while working – they are not allowed to bark in harness, they are not allowed to relieve themselves in harness, they cannot eat or accept treats in harness, and they deny many other natural dog behaviors that we take for granted when they are in harness. While they’re working, they cannot, for even a split second, take their focus off their handler as it could mean life and death for a blind person.

German Shepherds are what people most associate with guide dogs, but three years ago the school cut them completely out of their program. Only one out of five of that breed made the cut and it was decided to phase them out – they don’t respond to reward training in the same way as the other breeds used, have too many hip problems, and are a more aggressive dog. Because of Meisje, Kristi and Adam’s sweet dog, German Shepherds are the girls’ favorite breed and they were a little disappointed by this. But I think the lovable retiree named Gretchen and her human, Jennifer, in the picture above opened their minds to other breeds. (As an aside, each of the dogs that passes through the center has to have a different name for record-keeping purposes. That’s about 2,000 dogs a year, not to mention their other campus in Oregon – and only one person is in charge of naming them all!).

I daresay this is the cleanest and most well-behaved kennel anywhere.

Each guide dog has hard costs of around $85,000 over its lifetime. Thousands of volunteers (over 4,000!) participate in the end product of polished, trustworthy service dogs – ranging from those who welcome the breeder dogs into their families in between litters to those who raise the puppies for around 14 months before they go to into training to those who come to the center to walk dogs or play with puppies to those who adopt retired dogs or dogs who don’t make the cut. But the costs are still exorbitant because the Guide Dogs for the Blind is a completely free service. When a blind person is accepted into the program, the school pays for their airfare to come to the school for two to three weeks, houses and feeds them, and teaches them to care for and work with their dog over that time. Then the former students get yearly visits in their own home from the school to ensure all is going well and, oh yeah, the school pays for all veterinary expenses for the dog for LIFE. This makes certain each dog gets optimum care and no decisions about the dog’s health are ever financially-based. And – the school continues to provide each former student with service dogs for the duration of his or her life, as long as they want them. No wonder the annual budget is $30 million.

Other interesting tidbits:
--There are 12 accredited guide dog schools in the U.S., but none of the others offers the kind of hands-on, long-term support of this one. The free-of-charge program is absolutely unprecedented. The school relies 100% on donations.
--Among the school’s proudest moments, which have included two White House visits, was when one of their guide dogs led his partner to safety from the 78th floor of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
-- Puppy raisers don’t have to be adults – they encourage children, starting at about age nine. I could see Erika doing the math in her head, wondering if two years would be enough time to talk us into this!
--The dogs who fail to make it as service dogs to the blind are evaluated for other careers, such as search and rescue operations or assistants to customs agents. If, ultimately, they are meant to be a pet, the person who raised them from puppyhood gets right of first refusal for adoption.
--Before a student can graduate, they get dropped off in downtown San Francisco and must navigate their own way around with their new guide dog at their side. How intimidating would that be? A blind person with a guide dog can clearly do anything a sighted person can do!
--The most emotional days at the school happen every two weeks at graduations. The puppy raiser returns to the school to say a final goodbye to “their” dog and officially presents him or her to the blind partner. We saw a short video of this moment…tears. Major tears. This place changes lives.

Clearly, Guide Dogs for the Blind is an absolutely extraordinary program. We got to see several working dogs getting to know their new people and several in training. I took no pictures of any of this as it didn’t feel right to intrude and I didn’t want to violate anyone’s privacy. We left with tremendous respect for the school and an amazing appreciation for their work. What a special, special organization. We’re so blessed our girls got to see this firsthand and gain both admiration and empathy for the blind. This is just the sort of thing our RV adventure around the country is all about. What an amazing, incredible day – a true gift.