Pups in the Park message: Please Do Not Disturb Working Guide Dogs
25 January, 2012
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT is attending the Pups in the Park event in Orange today, Wednesday, 25 January, to remind the public to admire working guide dogs from afar.
A Guide Dogs NSW/ACT survey showed that in 2009, nine out of ten (89%) of its clients who use a guide dog had reported that their dogs had been distracted by members of the public trying to pat or feed them.
More dangerously, 88% of people who use guide dogs have had their dog harassed and even attacked by pet dogs that are not on leads.
"Many people naturally want to pat a guide dog because they are such beautiful animals, but those who do don't realise the potential damage they are causing," said Adrian Mielke, an Orientation and Mobility Instructor with Guide Dogs NSW/ACT in Orange.
"When a guide dog is in harness it is working. Its job is to safely guide a person who has no or low vision from one place to another.
"But if the guide dog is distracted by pats or food from the public or pet dogs off their leads, their capacity to do what they are trained to do is reduced and the person being guided can potentially be injured."
Mr Mielke will be attending the Pups in the Park event with two retired guide dogs to give demonstrations of how the dogs help people with impaired vision to avoid obstacles.
One of the dogs was forced to retire after a year-and-a-half's service due to anxiety issues that developed after it was run into by a person with a shopping trolley.
"It costs approximately $30,000 to raise and train a guide dog. All it takes is one unfortunate encounter, especially with domestic dogs, and this may cut short the working life of a guide dog," Mr Mielke said.
The Guide Dogs NSW/ACT stand at Pups in the Park will also have information about the full range of services and training to assist people in and around Orange who might be experiencing problems getting around because of vision loss.
These services include training people in how to safely and confidently get around using long canes and electronic navigation devices. Most training is delivered locally, in a person's home or work environment.
In the past year, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT's expert instructors have responded to almost 400 requests for assistance from residents across Central West NSW who have impaired vision.
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT provides all its services free of charge, relying on the generosity of the public to do this work.
For more information about the Pups in the Park event, visit its website here.
For more information about Guide Dogs NSW/ACT's services in Orange and across the Central West please contact the local office on 6362 6625.
ENDS
MEDIA: Please contact: Sally Edgar, 0413 753 241 or media@guidedogs.com.au