When you look at the face of a Golden Retriever, does it make you wonder about the truth in the Theory of Evolution?

Speaking of large organizations, whatever the circumstances, the HSUS has always come down strongly on the side of the dog.

I'm not sure exactly what evolution has to do with this topic however, domestic dogs of their various breeds are a good example of the truth in it. Even if those various breeds are the product of artificial not natural selection.

We have a blind man with a guide dog living around the corner from us. His previous guide dog I used to feel very sorry for as he used to shout at it. I should have reported this to the blind association in Norwich I think but one day I shouted back at him about the way he was treating his dog. Dogs do not learn well by being shouted at though I can appreciate it must be very scary being blind and having to put all your confidence in a dog.

I board working guide dogs, and have had at least two dogs with major mental or physical issues after mistreatment from their owner. One was terrified of just about anything and desperately seeked love from us. The other had major stomach issues after regularly drinking bleach in the toilet because his water bowl was not kept topped up.

I am not blaming blind people, or saying all guide dog owners do this. I know that some guide dogs are better cared for than pets. However, I wish that the guide dog associations would check up on the condition of guide dogs more regularly and put more restrictions in place to protect the dogs.

I agree with you 100 percent. You can't just assume all guide dogs are well cared for and then get a good night's sleep. Dog lovers are concerned with the well being of all dogs and must be vigilant regardless of the type of working dog. Those operating guide dog services must be responsible for the dogs under their supervision. A dog willing to perform this stressful service must be assured of kind and loving treatment. Anyone who has seen them in action is surely empathetic to their situation and their willingness to be such a benefit to the handicapped.

First of all blind people don't appreciate being called "the blind" anymore than African Americans like being called "the blacks" or homosexuals like being called "The queers." Secondly, before you start spouting off about something which you know absolutely nothing about, I suggest you, oh, I dunnow, actually meet some guide dog handlers, visit with some guide dogs, and do some research. I don't know where you saw a picture of a puppy being put into a harness, but it was either a fake and you have been dooped, or it was something posted by a crappy service dog school, trying to be cute. Guide dogs don't wear a harness until they are between 18 and 24 months old, and never would be expected to train, let alone work as tiny puppies. Puppies do wear vests, or capes when they are several months old, while they are socialized, but this does not harm them in any way. Most guide dogs and puppies in training are thrilled and practically plunge head first into their harnesses and vests respectively when they see them brought out. As for the guide dog at the concert, since you never bothered to actually speak to the handler like a human being and just made assumptions then proceeded to slander them on a forum, you don't know what the situation was. It is possible, but not likely that the handler was being neglegent. It is also possible, and far more likely that A. the dog was not whimpering, but just vocalizing, moaning, wining, sighing, etc as many dogs tend to do, pet and working alike, or B. the dog was a bit nervous and the handler was ignoring the bad behavior so as not to reenforce the anxioty. The worst thing you can do when a dog is nervous is to fawn over them and keep repeting in a high concerned voice "It's ok, it's ok." You monitor them closely, give them tasks to do, for which they can be rewarded, and act normally, communicating that all is well, by your calm behavior your self. As guide dogs are extremely well socialized they aren't afraid of fireworks, thunder, NYC subways, let alone concerts, but once in a while a dog develops some anxioty. The responsible handler first tries ignoring it, if that doesn't work, they start using structured behaviors and rewards to try and help the dog. I.E. every time a firework goes off they give the dog a high value treat, or they approach a parade from several blocks away slowly instead of just having it come upon them, they do obediants or give the dog a massage while it is thundering, and so on. If this doesn't work, they retire the dog, who usually remains with them as a charished pet, and they get a successor dog. My Seeing Eye dog naps through college lectures, snoozes through concerts, waggs her tale at fireworks displays, walks fearlessly through subway stations, picks up her pace and grins when we enter crowded, challenging downtown areas and is solid, confident and unafraid in trafic work. Most guide dog handlers take better care of their guide dogs than the average pet owner does. I highly suggest you actually get to know a guide dog team. I don't know where you live but I'd be happy to hook you up. I've converted several PETA members who believed the lies about guide dogs never getting to rest, being put to sleep when they retire and crap like that, simply by letting them shaddow me for a day and see how my dog is treated. My dog sleeps on my bed, eats human grade raw organic food, gets a 10 to 15 minute grooming session every day, a 15 to 20 minute massage every day, loves her work, gets to go everywhere with me, instead of being left home to sit alone in a quiet house, gets plenty of excersize, something many pets do not get, and lives a life most dogs only wish they could.

Most guide dogs eat human grade organic dry food, supplemented with fishoil capsils, raw or cooked eggs, freeze dried, minimally processed meat treats, pieces of cheese as treats, baby carrots, and similar. What does your dog eat? Many guide dog handlers feed commercial or home made raw diets, or home cooked meals. They don't miss out on anything. What do you think they miss out on? Playing? Wrong. Sleeping? Wrong. Eating good food? Wrong. Tugging, fetching, chasing and other games? Wrong. excersize? Wrong. Time outdoors in the sunshine? Wrong. Toys? Wrong. Affection? Wrong. Seriously, let me know what it is my dog is missing out on, because I'd love to know so I can honestly and completely prove you wrong. Guide dog harnesses aren't uncomfortable, and the schools show the handler how to properly fit it. Instead of googling images, why not actually touch and handle a guide dog harness? Oh, wait, that would require you to interact with a blind person *shudder* Guide dogs lives are not stressful, try looking at dogs left alone for hours and hours at a time who have seperation anxioty, they are stressed. To another poster, what is wrong with you? You let someone get away with maltreatment just because they're blind? If the dog has stomach upset or is fearful because of maltreatment, then report them to the ASPCA, it's not rocket science. Also, they shouldn't be boarding guide dogs with you anyway, they are legally allowed to go everywhere with their handlers, and should never, or almost never need to be boarded for any reason. If they have abused their dog and made them fearful, then they'll get their karma, because an emotionally damaged, fearful dog will not work well and will get the handler killed eventually, and serves them right if they were harming their dog. Also, could it be that they acted afraid and saught attention constantly because the dog was so used to being with their handler 24-7 and was experiencing extreme seperation anxioty, because you were not their handler? It's possible. My dog has a fit if she is seperated from me, I would never board her unless I was hospitalized and my husband and mother were also hospitalized. Also, it doesn't take eyes to shut a toilet lid or to fill a water dish. Actually it doesn't even take a full set of working hands. I know a wheelchair user who has one working arm who feeds her dog home cooked food and fills her dog's water dish three or four times a day with fresh water. Next. It is not scary to be blind, it is not scary to use a guide dog, and I do not rely on the guide dog for my safety. I rely on my ability to handle my dog well, I rely on my knowledge of how to read and judge trafic, my knowledge of the routes we travel, I rely on the physical health and emotional stability of my dog, which I ensure, and it is not scary. Further, it is not the right or responsibility of the guide dog school to poke into my or another guide dog handler's business, as it is no more the right of PETA members to stand over you while you feed your dog in your kitchen, or for the breeder of your dog to show up unexpectedly and insist on coming to inspect your house, or the right of the ASPCA to put cameras in your house. It is however your right to report me to the ASPCA if you see me abuse my dog, and it is my right to report you if you abuse your dog. Blind people are not children, are not mentally retarded, are not criminals and they are just as likely to abuse or care for, to mistreat or to charish a dog as anyone, and they should have no more and no fewer policing measures imposed upon them than you have imposed upon you. I also notice some of these complaints are coming from the UK, I can tell you that in the US, all of the guide dog schools have standards, some better than others, and the Seeing Eye, the first guide dog school in the US is the best out there, currently, and they give us full ownership of our dogs upon graduation from the training program. Please, please, stop spouting incorrect information until you take the time to actually meet some guide dog handlers, as I said, I could hook you up, no matter where you live.

Thanks so much for the comprehensive report on guide dogs for the blind. I can now appreciate their situation now that I know they are given excellent care with a responsible person looking out for their best interests. I admire dogs so much that I want the all to receive the best treatment. It's good to know someone is willing to take time to pass on accurate information about these wonderful creatures.

I withdraw any criticism I had about their treatment. My comments were not based on facts but rather just surmising that they were not happy animals. I'm relieved to know they are happy in doing their very best at their job.

John Click

Johnclick, You are absolutely right. Here is a synopsis of my experiences. As a result, I actually wrote a book and put up a website. My sole focus is to bring attention to these very well hidden abuses. What the abusers don't deny, they attempt to justify, as if you need your own observations to be reinterpreted for you BY THEM. Here is what I discovered:

Before I worked at a police department, I thought K9 units were great. Then I thought it might be only my own department that was brutalizing the dogs. I found out, to my dismay, that the brutalization is standard. Did you know that police K9's are routinely hanged to unconsciousness? But that's not all. When I was doing my research, I came across a testimonial from a blind woman who was very distressed about the cruel mistreatment of her guide dog, by "trainers" at the guide dog "training" center. And I discovered yet more.... Although I knew that our lead K9 "trainer"(at the PD where I worked) also "trained" (and hanged) search and rescue dogs, I was still saying to myself, "THIS has to be an anomaly. Not THAT many people can be abusive and keep it a secret." But when I left the police department and worked at a hotel, wouldn't you know it, search and rescue teams with dogs were coming from all over the country for events (three times during the years that I worked there) and I was at first struck by the fact that NONE of these people acknowledged their dogs' presence except to give orders. There were no kind words, there was no petting. It was, again, like the dogs were pieces of equipment. They were kept in crates when they were not being taken out to be trained, or to do their business. Very unlike how it is presented to us via the media. But what blew me off the cliff was when a group of about 15 of these handlers were sitting around in the lobby late one night, talking. One of them was regaling the others with the exploits of one of their peers, who conducted an experiment with his dog - beating the dog only when he wore a blue shirt. (I know that dogs are alleged to be color blind, or limited in color perception, but I'm just reporting what I heard). The end of this story was that the dog attacked and bit one of the supervisors, who happened to be wearing a blue shirt. There was hearty laughter all around the group.