The guide dog school is known for providing service dogs for the blind and visually impaired, but it also offers the gift of a best friend.
Wyatt Wittry has a new best friend: a three-year-old retriever named Shannon.
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I've always wondered what they did with dogs that didn't quite make the cut.
Great story, and good deal for the kid and his dog.
ReplyDeleteThat mother sitting there next to him and talking about him like he's not there, though.....you can see the kid cringing.
"I've always wondered what they did with dogs that didn't quite make the cut."
ReplyDeletei also had wondered about that. Now we know.
Because I'm a sixty four year old diabetic, I really keep myself in good shape as this has a really positive effect on the condition. I used to do triathlons but I now find that my knees aren't up to the job so I now concentrate on swimming. Wanting to do something a bit epic, I decided to see if I could swim 500 miles in a year. Since I was doing it anyway I contacted our local guide dogs charity and did the swim as a fundraiser for them. I collected around £800 in donations. I completed the task in mid October.
ReplyDeleteOur next door neighbour has a dog that was training to be a guide dog but failed his exams.
Around 20 years ago, a major fire department in Nevada had an accelerant detection canine that had flunked out of guide dog training. Josie was a yellow lab trained to sniff out gasoline, diesel fuel, and other fuels used to start fires. She was a superstar and could find a single drop of gasoline on a basketball court.
ReplyDeleteMy ex and I almost got one, they called them Fabulous Flunkies because they still had a lot of training.
ReplyDeleteAnybody who'd like to know more about how guide dogs are trained, tested, and placed -- and what happens to those who flunk out -- will love the documentary "Pick of the Litter." But oh boy, keep that box of Kleenex handy. More than once you'll feel tears welling up.
ReplyDeleteMy wife’s family had a golden that failed guide dog school. They were neighbors with the trainer. She said she was the best dog they’d ever had.
ReplyDeleteGoldens have a rep for being the best dogs anyone ever had.
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A great organization. My housemate who has been blind his whole life has had 4 from them over his life. He is a dog guy anyway, so after they got too old to guide anymore it was a simple process to allow him to keep them after their retirement, and all of those he has had got to live out their retirement loved and cared for and all have had private cremations and the oak boxes with their collars proudly line a mantle, along with the "regular" dogs from over the years.
ReplyDeleteHe thought, and I agree, that having a regular dog at home with the guide dog was good for the guide dog, so doggy play with fellow doggos when not working is good for all of us, and it was.
As my housemate is getting up there and at this point he has to rely on me and a guide dog would be overkill at this point, I have a dog dog, and damned if the dog is so tuned to him anyway if he leaves on his own to do something he will howl at him looking out the window till hes out of sight.
His reaction to me when I get home from work is kinda like hes thinking "oh good, food guy came back - is it dinner time?"