The different stages through which a dog guide to become the eyes of a blind person are the raising, socialization, training and daily life.
In Foundation facilities ELEVEN of the guide dog (FOPG) in Boadilla del Monte (Madrid) work with these animals so that, guaranteeing their well -being at all times, contribute security and autonomy to the blind people of Spain.
Center mobility instructors train dogs to be able to Save obstacles, go up and down stairslook for a door or cross of pedestrians, a task that already performs perfectly ‘Osiris’, a black labrador that is finishing its instruction stage. The school, which has a laboratory, veterinary clinic with operating deliver 200 dogs every year.
At present, about 1,000 Once guide dogs walk with society through cities and towns throughout Spain to improve their autonomy, displacements and security, turning these animals into One more neighbor next to Spanish citizens. In its nearly 35 years of history, the Once Foundation of the Guide Dog has delivered more than 3,000 dogs guides about 1,900 different users.
More than 35% of them have renewed their guide dog Through the Foundation after the retirement or death of its previous mobility assistant. The most used breeds are Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever and German shepherd for their physical conditions and temperament. “Here the best dogs are formed to increase the quality of life of blind people, because these dogs They change their lives“, explains the vice president of Grupo Social Once, Imelda Fernández. The vice president of the organization says that” from her birth and throughout the life of the animal “they seek their well -being:” guide and They do it in a happy way“
For its part, the managing director of the Once Foundation of the Guide Dog, María Jesús Varela, highlights that the goal of the center is “trying to give Independence to blind people“.” And also ensure that that dog, that he will do that magnificent work, do it receiving all the care he needs, all the attention he needs, but also that he does it being a satisfactory activity for him, “he adds.
“As all the people who like animals know, a dog wants to be doing something that its owner likes. In this case, these dogs are already selected from the beginningpreselected, even before birth, to be dogs that they like to be with people, be sociable and also teach them how they have to behave from the beginning and until the end, “he emphasizes.
Guide dogs, according to Varela, begin in this center their life and many also end it in it, since, although when they withdraw from the activity as guide dogs the vast majority of blind people remain because “It is impossible to separate from them“When the foundation can not be left again.
Work begins even before conception
In the center they care about dog care since birth, even before When their pregnant moms are stilluntil they deliver them and match them with a blind person. The Foundation works before the conception of the animal with a demanding selection of its parents, to obtain smart, healthy and with a sociable and balanced character. The players live outside the center, welcomed by caregiver families.
Once born, the puppies grow at school next to their mothers, attended by their caregivers and controlled by the veterinarian. Upon completing two months, puppies are welcomed by educating families selected by the Foundation, which provides them with the necessary technical support and runs with all the expenses of the foster care.
These educating families that adopt them during this period play an essential role, that of socialization. In addition to developing, playing and receiving a lot of love, the dog Learn to live with nearby people and strange and to get used to situations, objects and sounds such as public transport, stores or bustle. It is an ideal stage to acquire a basic obedience level.
With fourteen months, the dog returns to school and your training begins. When its instruction concludes, the dog is able to make decisions in complex situations: warn of crosses and steps or looking for pedestrian crossings. Once prepared to guide, it is time to assign the dog to the blind person or with visual deficiency to which he will guide. The instructor selects it taking into account their needs, their skills and their surroundings, as well as the characteristics of the dog.
In a course taught by the instructor, the dog and his future user learn to Work together and acquire mutual trust. From this moment on, the user’s displacements will be more autonomous and safe.
New Royal Decree to regulate the activity
The Government will foreseeably approve this year a royal decree for regulate activity and well -being of dogs that serve people with disabilities and that will allow them to access public use spaces throughout the national territory.
This new Royal Decree will complement the legislation provided by each Autonomous Community around this type of animals and, at the state level, will replace the regulations that there is right now and that refers to another royal decree of 1983.
The Animal Welfare Law It already included that pets could enter public use spaces, but sets the possibility that the establishment prohibits its entrance expressly. With the new Royal Decree, the guides of people with disabilities can accompany their owners even if there is an express prohibition of animal entry.
#Stages #guide #dog #eyes #blind #person #parenting #socialization #training #daily #life
