Guide Dogs Want to Have Fun, Too!
AUDIO VERSION
By Richard Marion
Hi there! My name is Baja. I am a bleached yellow dog with beautiful brown eyes. I love spending my time baking in the sun, running after my toys and sometimes chasing my tail. Wait a minute. Did I hear someone preparing dinner? Probably not. It is still two hours away. But a girl can hope, can’t she?
You know that saying in the old song, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” well that is me. I love enjoying my time. Oh, I think I see something being brought to me that I wear! I’ll finish this in a while. I have an important job to do now. It is time to work and make sure my human gets to where he needs to be as safely as possible. At least until I may get distracted by a dog or a rabbit.
Many people believe that guide dogs are always at work. As the opening of this article indicates, for guide dogs most of their lives are spent out of harness and just being dogs. The main difference is when the harness is on, they have a job to do and their mindset changes to work mode. Otherwise, most guide dogs are well-behaved pets who interact with other people and dogs and just do dog things like chew their toys, maybe dig holes in their yards and sleep in the sun sometimes.
Even for guide dog handlers who have a regular schedule of working every day, the dogs still spend the majority of their time at rest and get lots of time for play and other interactions with their humans. Guide dogs have the best of both worlds. They get to do a job they love, and they get to spend all their time with the person they love and want to be with most. Even if a guide dog looks sad, they usually aren’t. They are usually always positive and willing to do what they love unless they are not feeling well.
Because guide dog handlers spend so much time with their dogs, they usually have a good idea when something isn’t right. The priority for us is to make sure our dogs are always healthy and happy. When working with a guide dog, it is an equal partnership. Therefore, if our dog is unable or unwilling to work, we take this into account and make decisions that are always in the best interest of our dogs.
Guide dogs don’t work their entire lives. Most dogs will work for six to eight years after their training. Because working can be stressful, it is important to know when your dog is ready to retire. When a guide dog does retire, the handler is always given the first chance to keep their dog. In the event they can’t keep their dog, the dog does go to a loving home to spend their retirement years as happily as possible.
As you can see a working guide dog is more than just a mobility tool. They are a living being with lots of variety in what they do throughout their lives.
Hi again. This is Baja. I am back from a hard day’s work and was just rudely woken up from my nap in the sun. I was only outside for fifteen minutes again this time. I think I will just go look at the water I am being offered now.
