Last Friday I got to attend an event I was looking forward to all week, pet-a-puppy. It was put on by the Guiding Eyes for the Blind club, a club which I can happily say I am a member of. After a very stressful day of trying to meet a deadline, and trying to cram in just a few more paragraphs to meet the word count requirements, I was pretty drained. So the idea of handing in that paper and going to see the guiding eyes dogs was just what I needed.

Guiding Eyes is a great program. One of the things we learned about was the new autism program. Not only are they great for guiding the blind, but they also have expanded their reach into acting as an anchor for those with autism. This is a safe method for preventing the very real issue of bolting,  where the child may put themselves in a dangerous situation through a sudden jolt of emotionally charged movement. This may land them in the path of cars, or near ledges, where they can very easily get hurt. The dog here is connected by leash to the child, and helps by lying down as a response to the sudden movement, limiting the mobility of the child. Over time, bolting as a coping mechanism begins to fade away, and the risk disappears.

And it’s not easy becoming a guide dog.  These dogs have been specially bred for the intelligence, responsiveness, and personality. When a dog passes initial testing for these qualities, it then undergoes years of training to be selected as a guide dog. If they don’t make the cut, they still may end up as another form of work dog, such as bomb sniffing dogs. But all the effort is worth it in the end, when a disabled person is able to gain their freedom, and these dogs gain a family.