In this issue, we walk into the world of guide dogs, first of all, let's understand what a guide dog is, a guide dog is a working dog that has undergone strict and professional training to help the visually impaired. Guide dogs are docile and intelligent, and common dog breeds are Labrador Rangers and Gold Rangers. First of all, navigation is one of the most important jobs of a guide dog. They can guide their owner forward, turn left and right, go up and down stairs, etc., based on commands and gestures, and make sure there are no dangerous items around. In actual travel, guide dogs also need to help their owners avoid obstacles safely. In addition, guide dogs will also assume the responsibility of traffic command, and when a traffic light or pedestrian signal is given, the guide dog must accurately identify and guide the owner to cross the road safely.
Me and My Light "Guide"
The guide dog on the big screen is named Rab, and its owner, Wang Di, is a blind masseuse. Wang Di has suffered from congenital cataracts since he was a child, and a few years ago, Wang Di's eyesight suddenly deteriorated, resulting in the inability to travel alone. He therefore applied for a guide dog Rab. The arrival of Rab has brought very big changes to Wang Di's life, what kind of story happened between them?
Wang Di works as a massage worker for the blind, earning about 3,000 yuan a month, and the China Guide Dog Dalian Training Base will give priority to providing guide dogs for the local blind. Therefore, after Wang Di made an application, he soon got a guide dog named "Rab" for free. Before "Rab" officially took up his post, Wang Di also had a run-in period with "Rab" who was familiar with each other.
It is about a kilometer from Wang Di's house to the massage parlor, passing through three intersections. Rab will take Wang Di to dodge obstacles, and he will also take her across the street.
And when Wang Di arrives at the massage parlor and starts working, "Rab" will wait for her quietly.
"Rab" guards Wang Di, usually Wang Di is also very fond of "Rab", and every month she will take out 1/3 of her salary to make fresh food that "Rab" likes to treat it. In his spare time, Wang Di often takes "Rab" out to eat small stoves. Sometimes when encountering people who are afraid of dogs, "Rab" is also trying to release kindness.
Wang Di said that in recent years, with the improvement of people's awareness of guide dogs, the warmth of going out has gradually increased. In their spare time, they often eat together, go shopping, and go to the beach to get close to nature and relax.
How is a qualified guide dog trained?
For the visually impaired, every trip counts. As the "eyes", guide dogs guard the safety of the visually impaired and must be trained to be 100% error-free. Such strict requirements also make guide dogs the dog breed with the highest elimination rate among all working dogs. Recently, the reporter walked into the first guide dog training base in China - Dalian Training Base for Guide Dogs in China.
Revealing the "pre-job training" of a guide dog
At the Dalian Training Base for Chinese Guide Dogs located on the campus of Dalian Medical University, hundreds of Labradors have just finished their lunch break, walked out of their cages, and played in the grounds.
The trainer told reporters that the life of a guide dog is divided into four stages: foster care period, training period, service period and retirement period. These two two-week-old Labradors will be sent to the family of caring people for foster care in another month, so they are familiar with the process of getting along with people.
Citizen Ding Yi applied for foster care at the beginning of this year a guide dog puppy, during the foster care period in addition to bear the cost of buying dog food, he also has to carefully cultivate the guide dog's stable emotions, complete the outdoor designated place to defecate, do not go to bed and sofa, do not bite objects, do not bark and other family literacy training.
The foster family is responsible for raising the guide dog until it is one year old, and will only enter the guide dog base to receive skills training after passing the assessment. The training cycle is one to one and a half years. A qualified guide dog should have more than 60 basic abilities to lead users around obstacles, cross the road, go up and down stairs, take transportation, etc., and remember more than 30 passwords and more than 7 destinations to help the visually impaired travel independently and safely.
At the end of the training period, the guide dog who passed the assessment also needs to be trained with the visually impaired for about 40 days, when we filmed, Ms. Lin from Hubei was waiting for three years of guide dog training, after getting familiar with each other, after passing the assessment, you can sign an agreement to receive the guide dog for free.
Why is guide dogs scarce How to solve the problem of "a dog is hard to find"?
Guide dogs are the "eyes" of the visually impaired and the "beacons" that guide the way. In the mainland, compared with the huge visually impaired population, guide dogs can be said to be very scarce. According to the data of the China Blind Association, there are currently 17.31 million visually impaired people in the mainland, but the number of guide dogs in service is only about 400. Far from reaching the 1% penetration rate recognized by the International Guide Dog Federation, why are guide dogs so scarce?
Guide dog training is difficult and expensive
According to the staff of the base, the training of guide dogs due to the long cycle, including dog food, epidemic prevention, daily water and electricity, venues and labor costs, etc., the average cost of training a guide dog is about 200,000 yuan, and as a public welfare organization, the funding source of the base is mainly funded by the government and caring people, and there is no long-term stable source of funding. Many employees are engaged in the work of trainers with the emotion of guide dogs, and the turnover is serious.
Intelligent Guide Dogs: Exploring Another Possibility for the Visually Impaired to Travel
In the case that the number of traditional guide dogs is difficult to increase in the short term, a few days ago, the team of Northwestern Polytechnical University developed an intelligent guide dog, trying to lead the blind to cross the road, go up the steps, take the elevator, etc. in the future. Recently, through module upgrades, this intelligent guide dog is also continuously improving its real-time intelligent response ability and human-computer interaction experience.
At present, the intelligent guide dog can be used in the absence of a network or a poor signal. However, there is still a long way to go from scientific research to practical application.
The R&D team said that the current cost of smart dogs is relatively high, and the cost of technology iteration will continue to decrease in the future.
Mainland guide dogs enter and leave public places in accordance with the law
In recent years, public policy has become an important driving force to promote the popularization of guide dogs. The Regulations on the Construction of a Barrier-free Environment, which came into force on August 1, 2012, stipulate that visually disabled persons carrying guide dogs in and out of public places shall comply with relevant national regulations, and staff in public places shall provide barrier-free services in accordance with relevant national regulations. The Beijing Rail Transit Operation Safety Regulations, which came into effect on May 1, 2015, specify that visually impaired persons can bring guide dogs into the station. The new version of the "Catalogue of Prohibited and Restricted Items for Railway Passengers", which came into effect on July 1, 2022, stipulates that guide dogs with work certificates can accompany passengers on the train. The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Construction of a Barrier-free Environment, which came into effect on September 1, 2023, stipulates that the operation and management units of public places, transportation facilities and public transportation vehicles shall facilitate the carrying of guide dogs, hearing dogs, assistance dogs and other service dogs by persons with disabilities. Despite the support of regulations, it is not uncommon for visually impaired people to be denied entry with guide dogs in some public places. So, how should the public treat guide dogs correctly?
Li Qingzhong, Director of the China Disabled Persons' Federation and Chairman of the China Association of the Blind: Blind people traveling with guide dogs is a symbol of the independent and dignified life of the blind, and also a symbol of social civilization and progress. In addition, blind people carrying guide dogs, entering and leaving public places, and receiving public services are also the barrier-free rights and interests of the blind under the laws of our country. To help them realize this right and interests, is the common responsibility and obligation of our whole society, especially our relevant public service departments, to improve the awareness of the law, the relevant laws and regulations of the state, the implementation of the relevant industry service standards and norms, strengthen the training and knowledge popularization of employees, welcome navigation dogs into public places, to avoid rejection. In addition, for us personally, on the one hand, we must realize the importance of the guide dog for the blind group, it is a very safe and will not cause harm to people, so do not be afraid and refuse it. At the same time, when it is working, do not disturb it, tease it, feed it, and avoid its attention causing safety problems to the blind travel.
(CCTV News, CCTV reporters, Gao Lei, Jia Tiesheng, Li Xinfeng, Qin Yi, Hou Xiaoyang)