Guide dog

History and Research
– References to service animals date back to the mid-16th century.
– Dogs have been depicted as guides for the visually impaired for thousands of years.
– The first service dog training schools were established in Germany during World War I.
– Dorothy Harrison Eustis, an American dog breeder, wrote about a service animal training school in Germany in 1927.
– Morris Frank and Dorothy Harrison Eustis co-founded The Seeing Eye school in 1929.
– Important studies on the behavior and training methods of service animals were conducted in the 1920s and 1930s.
– Jakob von Uexküll and Emanuel Georg Sarris were key researchers in this field.
– Studies have also focused on the discrimination experienced by people who use service and assistance animals.

Guide Dog Breeds
– Guide dog breeds are chosen for temperament and trainability.
– Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Standard Poodles, German Shepherds, and Golden Retriever/Labrador crosses are commonly chosen.
– The Labrador Retriever is the most popular breed used globally.
– Crosses like the Goldador and Labradoodles are also common.
– Some schools have added Standard Poodles to their breed registry.

Accessibility Laws and Rights
– Service animals are protected by law in many countries.
– In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act allows service animals in most public places.
– The Fair Housing Act requires landlords to allow service animals in residences.
– In the United Kingdom, the Equality Act 2010 and Disability Discrimination Act 1995 protect the rights of assistance dog owners.
– Service providers in the UK must make reasonable adjustments to accommodate assistance dog owners.

Guide Dog Training
– Guide dogs are trained to lead blind or visually impaired people around obstacles.
– Dogs are red-green color blind and cannot interpret street signs.
– The handler directs the dog based on their previous mobility training.
– Guide dog training schools were established to enhance the mobility of veterans who were blinded in combat.
– The first guide dogs for the blind used in the United States were trained by Elliott S. Humphrey.

Discrimination and Benefits of Guide Dogs
– Some Muslim taxi drivers and store owners have refused to accommodate customers with service animals due to religious beliefs.
– In 2003, the Islamic Sharia Council ruled that the ban on dogs does not apply to guide dogs.
– Discrimination charges have been filed against those who refuse service to individuals with service animals.
– Owning a guide dog offers positive effects psychologically, socially, and physiologically.
– Blind individuals report increased confidence, security, and friendship from owning guide dogs.
– Guide dogs encourage exercise and outdoor activities, promoting independence.
– Socializing is easier with a guide dog, as it attracts assistance and leads to more interactions with others.
– Guide dogs make navigating unfamiliar places easier and more relaxing, compared to using a cane.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guide_dog