Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
‘I just saddle up the dog and off we go’
WHEN these pups grow up, they’re going to be the eyes, ears and hands of people with impairments.
Working dogs allow those with visual, physical and mental disabilities to have a level of independence that would be impossible without a human-dog partnership and there’s a huge demand for their services in South Africa.
The SA Guide-Dogs Association trains around 40 dogs a year. It costs around R100 000 to train a single dog, and the association receives no government funding. The high level of need means that prospective owners will often wait well over a year from applying to receiving a dog.
Tonight, the association throws it’s annual ball, aimed at raising money to train more dogs to help people like experienced guide-dog owner Jeremy Opperman.
Opperman has a degenerative eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa, which caused his vision to gradually deteriorate over time. When he became uncomfortable managing with just a cane, he applied to the SA Guide-Dogs Association.
After an 18-month wait, they paired Opperman with a dog who could match his fast walking pace and demanding career: a gorgeous golden retriever named Barklee.
“We bonded immediately. became something of a legend.”
Guide-dog owners must complete a month of intensive training with the association to learn how to “drive” their dogs.
“You have to literally live there so that you get a really strong bond with the dog. You train all day, learning the various commands.”
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Opperman has a busy schedule as a consultant and Barklee had to get up to speed with his new owner’s regular travels around the country. He learnt how to take Opperman safely from his Claremont home to the train station, catch a train into town, walk to the MyCiTi station, catch a bus to the airport, fly to Johannesburg and then navigate through OR Tambo to the Gautrain.
“These dogs are extraordinary. It took two trips, and then he knew,” Opperman said. “He became the bestflown guide-dog at the time. By the time I retired him, he and I had flown more than 450 times.”
Guide-dogs learn routes by name so owners can command them just by saying the name of a destination.
“We used to walk into Kenilworth Centre and either I needed to get the health shop, Standard Bank or Pick n Pay. Whichever one I said, he would take me to that one,” he said.
“You can imagine how empowering that is. It meant I was able to do so much more. I have no hesitation if I need to go to the shops, I just saddle up the dog and off we go. It becomes a privilege and an absolute blast.”
When Barklee became too old for their adventures, he retired to the couch, and Opperman had to find a new guide. He’s now on his third guide-dog, a docile Labrador called Ronnie, and they have the same bond of trust that allows him to retain his independence.