Greetings marvelous viewers and welcome to Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants! Animals are an indispensable part of our lives; they selflessly help us in countless ways. In the wilderness, animals help to pollinate plants, produce soil, and keep ecosystems in balance. Some companion animals work with humans directly for the benefit of many other people.

For example, canines may be trained to assist in search and rescue or disaster relief operations. Dogs may also serve in police units to help assure public safety; while still others may work as therapeutic animals in hospitals and nursing homes.

Today we look at the vitally important role of seeing-eye canines in bettering the lives of the blind and visually impaired. These super smart dogs are taught to utilize their superb senses to serve as the “eyes” for those needing guidance, helping them to navigate around obstacles, travel to various places and accomplish many different daily tasks

With a mission to “train people with impaired vision to use canes, canines and electronic aids to improve their mobility, independence and safety,” members of the Australia-based non-profit group Guide Dogs NSW/ACT (New South Wales/ Australian Capital Territory) will now share with us some uplifting stories about seeing-eye canine companions and how these dogs have transformed the lives of the visually impaired in so many ways.

Geralee and I have been together for seven years. Geralee is actually my third guide dog. So I’ve actually have had guide dogs for about 17 years, 18 years. The best word that sums up how I felt when I did my very first walk with a dog was the feeling of freedom. I could walk down a footpath without having to worry about obstacles. My guide dog took me around the obstacles and she moves in and out of the people and it was just…I felt free. It was quite amazing. Because of Geralee, I’ve been able to do all kinds of things that I probably wouldn’t have done if I had a cane.

I actually moved to Sydney (Australia) a few years ago and I never thought that I would be able to get my way around Sydney but with my job with guide-dogs, I go all over the place. Geralee just makes life so much easier, and… It’s great knowing that I can get on a train and she’ll find me an empty seat. I used to be quite afraid when I was a teenager, that I would end-up sitting on someone’s lap. So that’s good as well.

Sarah is a public relations speaker for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. Her seeing-eye canine companion Ally helps her in innumerable ways every day.

I’ve been vision impaired since I was a baby. If it’s really good sunlight like it is right now, I can see a little bit, as soon as it’s nighttime or darker, I can’t see, I am basically night blind. Ally who I’ve got here is my first guide dog. When you are moving around with a cane, you have to locate obstacles. You have to find them with the cane before you can go around them. With the guide dog, it’s very smooth, the dog would just walk you straight around everything in your way, and find that path for you. So, it makes a huge difference. For me in particular, I love it.

Seeing-eye canines not only bring the visually impaired independence and the freedom to move about, but also friendship and a sense of security.

People do often get a guide dog not only for its mobility benefits, but also for that companionship. I have a number of people that I’ve spoken to over the years that say they just feel so much more confident walking down the street knowing that they’ve got a companion. They are more comfortable knowing that there is somebody else with them.

The bond is really important with the guide dog. So, yes Ally and I are very, very close. Yes, a very close relationship, both when she is working, but also when her harness comes off, we are really great mates, a very special bond.

Seeing-eye animals maintain continuous contact with their caregiver and help them adjust to all sorts of situations they may face. When their harness is off, guide dogs are just like any other happy family dogs that enjoy a good rub on the belly. In fact, off-harness playtime is essential to maintaining the strength of the ties between a visually impaired person and their four-legged navigator.

Geralee is very, very cheeky out of her harness. Her favorite thing to do is actually sunbake and eat, of course. She’ll have gone visiting someone that you know was sitting down to lunch, or someone who had a camera, because she loves having her photo taken. So, when she is at home, she is very much like an ordinary dog, and a huge personality and I think her favorite talk that we ever get to do is actually with children. She loves going to the schools. If it’s a small enough school she gets to take the harness off, and she gets to have cuddles.

How is Geralee rewarded by Samantha for all her fine work?

Lots of affection, yes, just lots of patting. I give her treats, but really it’s just having that bond. And I mean she knows she’s doing a great job if I tell her she’s doing a great job. So yes, just lots of reinforcement.

The dog breeds that commonly become guide dogs include Labradors, Golden Retrievers, and Labrador/Golden Retriever crosses. These fluffy friends are calm, loyal, and intelligent. Puppies selected for guide dog training usually begin the intensive instruction at the age of one. Hours upon hours of training is required and includes the canine needing to master the multitude of commands and complex skills that are required to perform their future job.

I’m an actual guide dog mobility instructor. So I’m responsible for the training of the dogs and then the people who have a vision impairment or blindness. The training of the dogs; it’s a 20-week period. The basic commands are directional commands, actually. If you can put it simply, back, forward, left and right. The command to actually go, to walk on is “forward,” and that’s basically when the dog is standing by the caregiver’s side, and with a hand movement, and the command, verbal command is “forward,” and off you go.

There is a command to actually stop the dog while they are walking. So if the blind user has forgotten to go to a shop behind them, the command is very simply the dog’s name and “stop” and the dog should slow down and stop. At a junction, if the user wants to go left, there is a certain position that that user gets into, and then gives a verbal command, “left,” and obviously to the right as well. There are also commands to speed the dog up and slow the dog down.

This is Trudy. And actually Trudy is fully, fully trained and she is going to be matched up with her brand new caregiver tomorrow. So this really is her last day of training, and she will begin her work as a guide dog tomorrow.

Ally had her 19 months of training, and then I had my training. So for me it was a couple of weeks, it depends on the person. I had to learn the commands, how to work with Ally effectively and positively as a team. I had to go to guide dog school as well.

Despite all the hard work involved, the intelligent guide dogs lead interesting lives and enjoy the many challenges and responsibilities of helping their beloved human friends.

The guide dog has the same rights of access as their caregiver, so that’s covered in state and federal law as well, that yes, the dogs can go everywhere so taxis, buses, restaurants, shopping centers, and yes, all forms of public transport. As I said basically, anywhere I can go, she can go and it’s important people realize that. Anywhere I need to go, I can travel there independently with Ally, and know that she, yes, she is allowed to go everywhere I go. It’s absolutely fantastic.

To ensure a seeing-eye dog is able to stay focused on ensuring the safety of their human companion, it is important to be considerate and never distract the dog from his or her duties.

If you see someone with a long cane or a guide dog they are just like you or I and if you think they need assistance, it would be great to go up and ask them and just say, “Do you need a hand? And if so, how can I help you?” So that’s a really important message to take along. And most people are really grateful to have an offer of assistance. And if you see a guide dog in harness, they are working and it’s really best to admire them from afar rather than go and pat them or talk to them.

If the guide dog’s harness is on, like Ally’s is on now, then you can’t pat the dog, even things like eye contact, anything that will distract them from focusing on their work. When the harness comes off, they become a normal dog. But yes, we do ask members of the public to just to ignore a working guide dog. Talk to the caregiver, not the dog.

Animals truly makes us happy and enhance our lives in so many ways. Without them, our world certainly would not be as beautiful or colorful a place. Thank you Guide Dogs New South Wales/ Australian Capital Territory for introducing us to some fine service canines and helping us better understand how these selfless dogs assist the blind and visually impaired.

For more details on the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, please visit www.GuideDogs.com.au Blessed viewers, we appreciate your tranquil company today on Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. Up next is Enlightening Entertainment right after Noteworthy News. May our eyes always be opened to the beauty and wisdom of our planetary home.