For Peter Henry, who is blind, his guide dog Kane is a working partner that helps him to get from point A to point B in his everyday life. Henry has been an active member of the Lions Club for eight years and has raised significant funds for a guide dog training school in Manotick.
“There’s no comparison to a real cane, because using a cane when you’re walking on the sidewalk you’re following it, so it’s going side to side, whereas with my Kane, he’s going straight—so the first thing is that you walk straighter and then also if there’s anything in your way which is considered an obstacle, the dog automatically stops to tell you that it’s there,” Henry said.
Henry said he has been the proud owner of four guide dogs and received his first when he was 45 years old. He said he has had Kane, his current dog, for about two years now.
Steven Doucette, the events and guider coordinator for the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind in Manotick, explained “guide dogs probably have the most difficult job because most of the training is training away from their natural instincts.”
According to Doucette, guide dogs must ignore all distractions. They are not permitted to sniff the ground or acknowledge other dogs while the harness is on and they are working.
Henry had to retire one of his previous dogs, Zeus, because Zeus had been attacked by another dog at the park.
“When he saw dogs he would lunge, so it wasn’t safe,” Henry said.
The Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind also has a local assistance dog program in addition to their national guide dog service. Doucette said the assistance dog program was implemented in 2010 so the resources used to train the dogs that were not able to graduate from the guide dog program would not be wasted.
“That way they can still have a purpose and really help somebody that needs the help,” Doucette said.
Doucette said assistance dogs do things like pick up dropped items for those with mobility issues. For example, if someone in a wheelchair drops their wallet, the dog is trained to pick it up.
A guide dog performs tasks only outside the home, but an assistance dog works both inside and outside the house.
Doucette added there are also companion dogs for children with autism, companion dogs for people with PTSD, diabetic and seizure alert dogs, police dogs, rescue dogs, and many more jobs that dogs can perform.
Doucette said therapy dogs are not necessarily working dogs and they are used more for psychological effects.
“You would classify your dog as a therapy dog and it would be visiting people and it would help with their mental wellness, but it’s not technically a working dog,” Doucette said.
According to Doucette, the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind operate solely through donations and their own fundraising activities, and the money all goes towards the training and an aftercare program that is offered to the clients.
“We don’t just give them a dog and send them home—we actually maintain a relationship with them, visit them at least once annually, and we help them if there’s any issues along the way,” Doucette said.
Henry added that one of the benefits of having a guide dog was that it opens up communication.
“People are intimidated of how to approach you if you have a white cane, whereas with a dog it’s an icebreaker, so they’ll come and say hello to the dog and then they’ll ask you questions,” he said.
Doucette said the labs and retrievers they breed as guide dogs “absolutely love to have a purpose—they love to work and please their owner.”
He added that having a guide dog is not for everyone because while it is a benefit, it is also an added responsibility.
“Now you actually have a living creature that you’re responsible to take care of. It’s a two way relationship, and that’s why the relationship between the dog and the handler becomes so strong. I would say the bond is probably as strong as a parent and child,” Doucette said.
Henry said when Kane’s harness is on and they are working on getting somewhere, it is best for nobody to talk to either him or Kane.
“When we’re working we’re kind of in our own zone,” he said.
Doucette said guide dog owners are essentially “putting their life in the hands of a four-legged creature.”
