info guide dogs romania

8/6/2019 Info Guide Dogs Romania

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Light into Europe Charity

Guide dogs for the blind

A real life changing difference




We want a society in which blind andpartially sighted people enjoy the samefreedom of movement as everyone else!

Light into Europe is the only charity dedicated to develop support programs and activities for the sensory impaired children andyoung adults in Romania.

All of our activities, programs, partnerships and fundraising haveone overall purpose: to reach children and young people with sight or hearing loss who face more barriers than most of us and to helpthem with information, equipment, suitable education and to leadthem to independent and positive lives.

This is what Guide Dogs for the Blind Program is about – to deliverguide dog service and other mobility services, as well as breakingdown barriers - both physical and legal – in order to enable blindand partially-sighted people to get around on their own and live anindependent and productive life.

Over the past few years we have grown from strength to strengthand thanks to your continuous generosity each year we have madeconsiderable progress.



Guide dogs for the Blind

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What is a Guide Dog?People who cannot see at all,or whose sight is very poor,can find some things hard todo, without some help. Oneof their biggest challenges isgetting around. Imaginecrossing a busy road when

you can’t see the traffic.Imagine walking past bus stops, parked cars, push chairs andbicycles that you cannot see. Guide Dogs are carefully trainedservice animals used as travel tools by people who are blind. Aguide dog enables its blind or partially-sighted owner to get aroundsafely and independently.

What does a guide dog do?A guide dog is trained to guide its owner in a straight line unlesstold otherwise, avoiding obstacles on the route. It will stop at kerbsand steps, and find doors, crossings and places which are visitedregularly. It will guide the sight impaired person across the road,but it is up to him/ her to decide where and when to cross safely.

Training guide dogsTraining guide dogs involves many activities, from breeding andtraining guide dogs, puppy-walking (volunteers foster the puppiesfor socialisation), matching guide dogs to owners, trainingpartnerships throughout the partnership, which averages around 7years, and through to rehoming and retirement.




What types of dogs areused? World wide Guide Dogs

for the Blind organisationsmainly use Labradors, GoldenRetrievers and crosses of these two breeds. There is asmall number of other breedsthat they use less frequently.

Different breeds of dog have different characteristics and the blindperson’s mobility requirements, environment and physical abilitywill determine the most appropriate type of dog for him/ her.

Does the blind person need any training to use the guide dog?Training is as important for the sighted impaired person as it is forthe dog. The dog will have been trained to respond to specific

commands and directions and the blind person will need to learnthese in order to make the dog work for him/ her. It is also animportant time to build the bond with the dog so that it takesresponsibility for guiding the person. Training programmes areindividually designed in order to meet the needs of the blind personand his dog and usually involve some residential training. During

the training the new owner will undertake walks with his dog.These will give the blind person the opportunity to practise thetechniques he/ she will need and gain experience working with thedog successfully in a variety of environments and everydaysituations. The sight impaired person will also cover areas such asgrooming, feeding, obedience, understanding dog behaviour,cleaning up after the dog and general dog-handling skills.




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How long does the dog work for and what happens at the endof its working life? The guide dog is usually between eighteen

months and two years old when it finishes its formal training and it will work for approximately seven to eight years. At the end of itsworking life the guide dog owner may decide to keep the dog, ormay know of a friend or family member who would adopt the dog.

Remember!

Guide dogs and their owners undergo rigorous training towork safely and effectively as a team.Concentration is essential when a person travels with aguide dog. Petting, feeding, or distracting a guide dogdisrupts concentration and can cause serious danger.People develop a very close relationship with their guidedogs, which in itself can be an extremely rewarding andfulfilling experience.A guide dog is not always working, so owners will spend alot of their time relaxing and playing with their guide dogand ensuring the dog receives the attention it needs. Thisalso helps establish a level of respect and trust between thedog and owner which is needed when they are out working

together.




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In May, last year, we havebrought up from Zagreb, Croatia

Midnight, a new puppy dog. Shewill not only be a guide dog, but also the mother of our guide dogsstock here in Romania. In fact, wehave recently took her to Zagrebagain, where she “met” a male

friend, and right now, she is safely back in Romania, expectingpuppies, somewhere by the end of July, or beginning of August.

Also, as a member of EGDF (European Guide Dogs Federation),Light into Europe Charity is also part of the Mobility AccessWorking Group, and has participated to several meetings regardingthe free access of people with disabilities and their guide dogs in allsocial contexts, without any discrimination.

Also, this year, the EGDF AnnualGeneral Meeting will take place inBucharest,, in October, 7 th – 9 th .We will use this opportunity for

more awareness and visibility of people with visual impairmentsand the importance of the guidedogs for the blind in Romania.

Chloe and Mr Nicolescu in training




This material is offered to you by:

Light into Europe CharitySupporting the Romanian Sensory Impaired

Children and Young People

For more informations about the sight impairment,special services and equipments, you can contact us at:

Light into Europe Resource Center,35 Clabucet Street, Bucharest

Tel. 021-224 46 08Fax 021-224 47 93

E-mail [email protected]

info guide dogs romania

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