Two jobs are better than one!

Well folks, it's been a while since I posted.  I've been nagging My Person to get photos for this post for a few months now, but she kept forgetting to put fresh batteries in the camera!  However, at last I have photos to share and a story to tell...

In May, My Person started working at Genazzano FCJ College - so of course, so did I!  We've been working in the school libraries - the senior library with the year 7-12 students four days a week and then, on Fridays, we spend the day in the junior library with the prep-6 students.  I'm loving it!  You see, I work as a Guide Dog to get My Person safely to work and any time she needs to leave the library during the day, but otherwise she takes my harness off and I'm the Library Dog. 

Working in the junior library

What does it mean to be a Library Dog?  Well:

• I am expected to wander the library before and after school, at recess and lunch, and at any other time, for the express purpose of letting the girls pat me, cuddle me and otherwise adore me.
• I provide stress relief and amusement for students preparing for exams, major assessment tasks, challeenges, personal troubles or anything else.
• I act as mascot for the Chess Club.  This has involved being present in their group photo for the yearbook, attending an excursion where the girls participated in a tournament, sleeping under the table when the chess tutor is teaching the girls and giving moral support by demanding pats when the girls are trying hard to win a game against a tough opponent.
• I inspire more people to visit the library - students and staff have been told that if they visit the library through the day they can pat/play with me.

It's a hard job, but someone has to do it - and I'm happy to say that somebody is me!

The girls that visit the junior library spoil me: they created this nest for me yesterday.  So comfy!

Well, I'm off to rest up a bit more.  Weekends are a great chance to relax and recharge ready for all the attention of the working week!  Have a lovely day, everyone!

Welcoming a new member to the family

Hi folks!

You may remember a while ago I shared with you the sad story about my cousin Keegan having to retire. You might be pleased to know that he has adjusted well to his new home - back with his puppy-raisers who now live in the Adelaide Hills. He's learned lots of new tricks and is loving the fact that he has two little kids to spend plenty of time with. We visited him early this year and he's happy and healthy and we could tell that his new People love him very much.

Now I have some other news to share with you. It's been a while since Keegan retired and his Person - My Person's middle sister - has spent months waiting for a new dog to be matched with her (Guide Dogs Victoria are very careful - finding the perfect match cannot be rushed) and relying on a long white stick called a 'cane' to keep her safe. She finally had word a little over a month ago that they had finally found the right dog for her! We were all so excited to hear it! She has now completed her training with the new dog - and brought him over to meet us.

So... Introducing Guide Dog Vollance (more commonly known as 'Volly')

Volly is about 22 months old. Amazingly, we discovered that Volly's parents and mine are the same! This is especially amazing since he is a GIANT and I'm only smallish. I'm serious - he's half again my size, at least!

This afternoon Volly and I were being taught how to ride in the trailer that gets towed along behind the little tractor that the MummyBear uses to cut the grass. We started out just being pushed about in the trailer:

Then I was lucky enough to have My Person's brother take me for a ride behind the tractor - all the people were amazed at how calm I was! Volly didn't try it - his Person doesn't want him getting too used to being behind vehicles with the motor running just yet, since he's still working on his traffic training. Here's a pic of me having my ride:

So, welcome to the family, Volly - my little brother who is bigger than me and now also my cousin!

- Kenworth

What breeds of dog are used as Guide Dogs?

I was out and about the other day when a lady stopped to talk to My Person. One of the things that she wanted to know was what breeds of dog are used as Guide Dogs.

This does vary slightly from place to place, but generally the most common breed for a Guide Dog is the Labrador Retriever (like me!) – around 70% of Guide Dogs currently working in the USA, for example, are Labradors - and this figure is the same (or higher) in most countries where you find Guide Dogs. Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds are also in service, as is the Labrador/Golden cross-breed. Though far less common, it is not unknown for Boxers, Border and Smooth Coated Collies, Australian Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Standard Poodles and Vizslas to be used as Guide Dogs. Guide Dogs Victoria, who trained me, do not train these breeds as Guide Dogs, though for a time they did breed and train Labradoodles (Labrador/Poodle crosses).

So why these breeds?

The key traits for a successful Guide Dog are intelligence, willingness to learn and work, high tolerance for stress, good health and endurance (sometimes we work long hours). Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers fit the bill perfectly. Poodles and Poodle crosses have been tried as a breed suitable for handlers with dog allergies as they tend to shed less hair.

German Shepherds were the original Guide Dogs – primarily due to their availability. They suited the job perfectly: they were willing to work, highly trainable and intelligent enough to solve problems they encountered outside their training. They do, however, require confident handlers – they can be stubborn and tend to get destructive and may even bite if not given adequate stimulation and boundary reinforcement. Unfortunately, German Shepherds lost a lot of ground in the image department as Guide Dogs because they were also being used in other working fields such as as police, guard and attack dogs.

It was then that the Labrador Retriever came to the fore. Coming in a wide range of colours and sizes, the Labrador had, and still has, the image of the lovable family pet. Intelligent enough to learn the job but not so smart as to get bored doing the same route over and over, the Labrador is eager to please its handler and takes most things in its stride, making it fantastic as a Guide Dog. Labradors are highly trainable and readily transfer their loyalty from one person to another, meaning that moving from a puppy-raising home to the training kennels and then bonding with a vision impaired handler does not create undue stress or effect their ability to work.
The Golden Retriever has many similar traits to the Labrador Retriever. They are the clowns and eternal optimists of the dog world, which means occasionally they can be a little flighty, but in general they are highly trainable and eager to please. The Golden takes a little more time to groom, with its longer coat, but for the handler who has the time and energy to deal with them, the Golden makes an excellent helper. Goldens are often cross-bred with Labradors with great effect.

Guide Dogs Victoria, and many other Guide Dog schools, have their own breeding program. They choose to breed and train mainly Labradors and some Goldens and Labrador/Golden crosses. Other breeds can occasionally be requested, but the wait time for these is considerably longer – a suitable dog must be found (or bred) and trained to the standard expected of Guide Dog representatives from the school. It is more common to find schools who will breed and/or train German Shepherds in the USA or UK. Some schools around the world do not have their own breeding programs and instead select suitable young dogs from local shelters and breeders to join their training programs – it is generally these schools which are more likely to include other breeds of dog in their programs.

So, whilst it is most common to see Labradors as Guide Dogs, there are others you may occasionally see out and about as working teams. As long as they have been appropriately trained by a registered Guide Dog school and possess the appropriate harness and identification, just about any dog of the appropriate size and temperament could be a Guide Dog!

Resources used in the compilation of this post:
http://www.guidedogsvictoria.com.au/about-our-dogs/breeding
http://ezinearticles.com/?Guide-Dogs-For-the-Blind---What-Breeds-Do-They-Train-to-Be-Guide-Dogs?&id=2522506
http://thepuppyplace.org/page15.html