What Does a Guide Dog Do?

Have you ever wondered what guide dogs really do for the blind? While guide dogs for the blind can’t tell their blind owners whether their shirt clashes with their pants, and they don’t generally perform well when it comes to general household tasks like cooking dinner or folding laundry, they are able to assist in other meaningful and valuable ways. Guide dogs for the blind are specially trained to assist and lead visually impaired people around. They act as mobility tools for the blind as well as being a loving companion. Guide dogs for the blind not only improve mobility but also provide independence and confidence for their human partners.

Guide dogs for the blind are trained to guide their owners in a straight line to avoid obstacles on the ground, to either side or above; however they would also do otherwise if instructed. They are trained to stop at curbs, stairs and to locate doorways in common and familiar places.

Whenever a blind person crosses a street, their guide dog maintains a straight line but that doesn’t mean that the dog can decide when it is safe to cross. That call is best left to the humans rather than the guide dogs for the blind. The judgment on safety in crossing a road with a guide dog is precisely the same as when using a long white cane. This means that guide dogs for the blind are not miracle workers that can absolutely guide the blind, but a guide dog surely offers a unique, safe and effective way for the visually impaired person to get around independently.

Millions of people with vision impairment can attest to how helpful the assistance of guide dogs is in a lot of ways. Guide dogs for the blind give their owners freedom and independence. For people who don’t want to be imprisoned by their low vision, guide dogs for the blind become their source of independent navigation. It vastly improves the blind person’s self-esteem and their sense of liberty to do things on their own; guide dogs for the blind greatly improve a person’s quality of life and self-worth.

Some blind people are left at home by family members who need to go to work. Guide dogs provide a loving companion to their owners. Dogs are known as man’s best friend and the bond between humans and dogs is evident. A true partnership is established with the guide dogs becoming a great companion and friend as well as a mobility tool.

Guide dog owners can also consider their guide dogs for the blind as a social asset. When people see blind individuals with guide dogs, they inevitably approach them to chat or offer assistance. This is a great way of widening social relations of blind people who often find themselves alone or disconnected from the world. Guide dogs are definitely attractive to people; especially trained, guide dogs for the blind show special skills and people are easily amazed by what they can do. Guide dogs for the blind help eliminate the feeling of isolation and ostracism common to people in the blind and low-vision community.