PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Giving pups a purpose is what The Seeing Eye, a non-profit guide dog training center, aims to do.
“Some high-energy dogs need a job, so this is a great channel for them to keep them busy,” said Jane Schneiderman, a senior instructor at The Seeing Eye.
September is National Guide Dog Month, which recognizes the positive role that man’s best friend can play in the lives of those with vision loss and encourages community education.
Luna is a yellow labrador, golden retriever mix.
“She has a strong-willed personality in terms of she will take the initiative she needs to take to get me where I need to go,” Melissa Allman, her handler and an advocate for The Seeing Eye said.
The pair were matched in 2017 while Allman lived in Chicago to help her get around the city more efficiently.
For Luna, that job includes navigation, spatial awareness and in some cases- ignoring her boss.
Allman explained, “If I told Luna to go forward after judging traffic and listening to see if it's safe to go if I’m wrong and there's a car about to turn in front of me… then Luna will intelligently disobey and not go forward until it is safe to do so.”
Compared to other individuals with varying degrees of blindness, Allman was born blind and relied on her cane to travel before meeting Luna. Which is why she says it’s nice to have a dog who can help fill in the blanks for her.
“What I have experienced is not always being able to have that context of the visual experience to rely on,” Allman said.
And while guide dogs pull their humans in the right direction, The Seeing Eye officials say it’s not a tug of war. Instead, the pair have to work as a team.
“It’s a 50/50, so the person has to know where they’re going and they give those directions, the dog follows the commands of the person,” Schneiderman said.
Allman agreed, adding, “Navigating our environment and getting around in this world is something we absolutely do together.”
And while Allman says most people know not to pet service dogs, there are other ways that teamwork can be interrupted, putting the safety of the guide dog and its handler at risk.
“Making noises at the dog, talking to the dog, leaning down and saying ‘I’m not supposed to pet you,’ those are things that the person working with the dog, someone like me, may not know is happening, but it can really be distracting,” said Allman.
The Seeing Eye is looking for more families in Pennsylvania to help take in the puppies before they are professionally trained and placed with their handlers. More information on how to get involved and what it takes to become a puppy trainer can be found here.