Southeastern Guide Dogs Journal 3 Jan 29, 2011

Southeastern Guide Dogs

This week I returned to Main Street to explore this new store that helps the blind and elderly. It’s the Southeastern Guide Dogs store, it’s a new store added to Main Street and the knowledge I found that goes into the dogs and their purpose was more than I originally thought. The workers in the store were very friendly and were kind enough to answer my questions on how it all works. This building is a training school for newborn Labrador puppies to be trained to serve as guides. That is their purpose in going through the program.

The dogs that they train are mostly labs (golden, yellow, chocolate etc) because they’re smart and they are more family friendly dogs (than say training a pug or a pit-bull to guide the blind).  They breed the dogs and start their training when they are two weeks old. The training is a long process, but it is all worth it, because the workers of the Southeastern Guide Dogs, make sure that the dogs are ready to be out with a blind person. But also that it’s a perfect match for the new owner as well. You can get the dogs for free as longs as you show them that you are in need of a guide dog, these aren’t family pets to play with. These dogs purpose (what they have been trained for) is to guide.

I noticed that last week at the Farmer’s Marker, I saw some the dogs from the Guide Dog program, you could tell because the dogs were wearing a blue vest and it said the name of the store. When you a see a dog with that blue vest, it means that those puppies are still in training and that you have to asked the worker holding the dog if its ok to pet them.

After last week of going to the farmers marker and seeing so many of the residents of Sarasota have dogs with them, I want to know more about the dogs that help those in need. I have a dog back home in Connecticut and I miss being around my dog and the connection between owner and the dog. If you have had a dog from when they are puppies and take care of them for a long time. They become part of your family. I see that is the same in Sarasota with the people and their dogs. Almost everywhere I go I see someone walking their dog or (if they are small dogs) bring them into stores when shopping. I love how this program focuses on training the dogs to be able to be the eyes of their blind owner. The Guide Dogs make them feel not so helpless when they have a friend that they can trust to lead the way.

Dogs impact the environment because they can scare other people walking, and make them not walk down town anymore. Also the owners need to pick up after them. On the other hand more people would come down town because they can bring their dog with them and, if people don’t clean up after, then grass with grown from fertilizer.