SB yes some are, but whilst they talk the talk on paper sadly, in reality, things are inconsistent. Trainers now also have huge time constraints and are under huge amounts of pressure. Guide Dogs are currently expanding and increasing the number of dogs trained... Not sure how that will impact on the dog care and welfare side of things at all in an organisation that already seems overstretched...just my opinions of course, based on several years volunteering with them.

Which of the multiple Guide Dog organisations in the USA did this dog come from ?

We obviously know different people then. I speak as I find.

I didn't speak to the owner of the guide dog at the concert. Imagine that, during intermission, a person appears to be badgering a handicapped person?

Border Collies instincts are to herd; Huskies are to pull sleds; Greyhounds are to run; Blood Hounds are to track; Beagles are to hunt rabbits. Labrador Retrievers are to hunt and retrieve. They don't really want a high stress job like the responsibility of guiding a handicapped person through traffic. And, for God's sake, let's let precious Labrador Retriever puppies have their puppyhood before starting their training.

I know someone who is a Trainer as well .......

If Guide-dogs are told that the dog is being misused, the dog will be removed

At the Op

Retorical question but did you ever stop to consider that the section of society (guide dog owners) that you're currently generalising about has representatives on this site?

Labrador Retrievers are to hunt and retrieve. They don't really want a high stress job like the responsibility of guiding a handicapped person through traffic.
Johnclick

what an odd thing to say

why is a discussion like this on a blog?
The blogger might want to start a thread?

There's a few things I'm wondering, but most poiniant I believe is this:

Which kind of blindness is more of a handicap, the one that effects the eyes or the one that effects the mind.

The kind of blindness that would allow someone to generalise about a group of people, that are from all walks of life, from vastly different locations/backgrounds, based on one/two bad examples imo is far more disabling than the kind that means that someone's visual cortex isn't recieving the level of stimulation it evolved to handle.