Border closures delay arrival of guide dogs
When a guide dog and its owner are working as a team, Diane Bergeron compares it to an intricate and graceful dance. The owner and dog move together, thanks to the two elements that are key to the relationship: trust and love.
Just like it has in most other aspects of life, COVID-19 has meant changes to the way the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) pairs guide dogs with their owners.
Bergeron, president of the CNIB Guide Dog program that was established in 2017, says the process of matching a dog and owner takes approximately two years. Since the program is relatively small, she explained, they do not have a breeding program developed yet and have been working with a breeder in Australia.
Before COVID, the guide dogs in training were removed from the breeders around eight weeks old and placed with volunteers to begin their training before being transported to Canada at approximately a year old to continue training at the CNIB facility in Ontario.
Many other visually impaired Canadians receive their dogs from the United States, through other organizations like the Lions Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.
However, the worst pandemic in over a century has made international travel, whether south of the border or on the other side of the world, much more difficult.
"We began getting calls last spring after the U.S. border closed and, like everybody else, we had no idea how long the closure would last," she explained.
COVID IMPACT
As the weeks turned to months and it became clear that border and travel restrictions would remain in place for some time, Bergeron said CNIB Guide Dogs began to intensify its efforts to help meet the growing demand for guide dogs.
"We had a plan that called for slow, steady growth over the next five to seven years," she explained. "We have shortened that time frame considerably."
Bergeron said CNIB has gotten creative and innovative in the COVID work environment. One staff member, who is originally from Australia, has returned home to work with Vision Australia to help train dogs that can be brought to Canada as soon as travel is permitted.
They've also launched the CNIB urgent expansion campaign, which is seeking donations to help support these efforts and fund 150 guide dogs.
Recently, they were also able to bring some dogs to Canada from the United States. In fact, the latest dog that was matched was actually for a client of the Lions Foundation, Bergeron said, adding there has always been a level of co-operation between the organizations that are supplying guide dogs to Canada, something that has only intensified in the COVID environment.
"At the end of the day, what matters is that one more Canadian has gotten the freedom that a well-trained guide dog can provide," she said.
IMPORTANT ROLE
That is something Shelley Adams understands quite well.
The Halifax resident received her third guide dog last September, a black Labrador named Rookie. Each of her three dogs had a distinct personality, she said, and Rookie is "pretty cuddly and loves to snuggle."
Although this was her third dog, Adams went through the same process this time as she did for her first two guides. She spent two weeks with a trainer as the dog and owner began the process of getting to know each other and being able to read each other's cues.
"I am putting my total trust in Rookie to keep me safe, especially when we leave the house," she explained.
It is the kind of trust that allows her to say "Starbucks"
and have Rookie direct her right to the lineup of her favourite coffee shop. She lives, works and shops in downtown Halifax, and having a guide dog like Rookie gives her a level of comfort and independence she doesn't feel when using a cane.
"If I am using a cane, I have to be watching out for any hazards and I feel exhausted by the time I get back home," she explained. "With Rookie, it is so much more relaxing."
Bergeron, who works at the CNIB office in Halifax, explained guide dogs take on a totally different personality when the harness is put on. Gone is the fun-loving pet who loves people. In its place is a worker completely focused on the task at hand.
"I tell people not to even say 'hi' to Rookie when he is working," Adams adds.
Bergeron said this split personality is something common to all guide dogs. The CNIB program uses Labradors, golden retrievers and crosses of those breeds, and Bergeron said they've "had a high success rate."
She compares the change in behaviour to humans putting business attire on for work and then relaxing when they get home. She notes their motivation is simple: total love for the person at the other end of the harness.
And, added Adams, there are also treats for a job well done.
MADE IN HEAVEN
For Kaiden Guest, Flinn has been his best friend since they first laid eyes on each other.
"He went straight for Kaiden and they have been pretty much inseparable ever since," Kaiden's mother Lisa explains.
The soon-to-be 11-year-old from Bay Bulls, N.L. said he can't picture life without his new best friend.
"We love to play tag and fetch," Kaiden noted.
Flinn doesn't accompany his friend to school, but his mom notes, "when it gets close to the time when he knows Kaiden will be coming home, he begins to pace, and he is always waiting for him at the door."
Lisa Guest said it has been a great experience for her son to learn to care for Flinn and "he has become a great addition to the family."
But there are still those waiting for guide dogs in Atlantic Canada. The lack of international travel — and the ability to bring guide dogs to Canada — is forcing those who need a dog to wait longer.
Adams said her sister Stephanie has felt the impact of the guide dog shortage, as she has been waiting for close to a year to be matched with a new animal after her previous guide dog died.
"We have our fingers crossed she will get a dog before the end of the year," Adams said.
DID YOU KNOW?
Not every animal passes guide dog training and there are two other career streams. A buddy dog is partnered with a child who is living with sight loss. Whether it's feeding, grooming or walking this well-trained family pet, it gives the child an opportunity to care for a dog and makes it easier to transition into a guide dog partnership in the future.
Ambassador dogs are partnered with staff members to promote CNIB Guide Dogs at community events and raise awareness about the role of guide dogs.
Go online to learn more at https://www.cnib.ca/.