Complexities of Guide Dogs

In this documentary we learned more about the process of how puppies eventually become guide dogs. I really enjoyed this film because it allowed me to realize how complex it is for dogs to be chosen as guide dogs. I had the misconception that any lab can become a guide dog, but I’ve now realized how wrong I was. The guide dogs that we see in the media and on the street have been carefully vetted, trained, and socialized for their job. I think it’s amazing how we’ve learned to teach dogs in this way. Moreover, I find it so fascinating that each breed can have their own characteristics that determine which jobs they’re most suited for. For example, huskies would definitely make bad guide dogs since they are so independent. It makes me wonder which breeds will evolve as our needs in society change. Perhaps more puppies who are able to work with technology or open doors will be selected for this purpose. I think it’s interesting to see how breed dynamics will change in the future.

One thought on “Complexities of Guide Dogs

  1. Man’s best friend can certainly do a lot more than just be a friend. A couple weeks ago there was a NYTimes article about how dogs have been trained to test for covid. It’s known that dogs can be used to sniff out bombs, or truffles, or even some diseases like cancer or Parkinson’s disease. And now we can add covid to that list. I only wish our covid tests at Cornell could have been administered by dogs.