| If
you are interested in adopting a dog, you might want to look
into adopting one from one of the many guide dog centers around
the country. Today there are approximately 5,000 dogs working
as guide dogs for the blind and thousands more being used to
help handicapped people who are deaf, quadriplegic, paraplegic
or suffering from such diseases as multiple sclerosis or spina
bifida. As well as being loving companions, these dogs are the
eyes and ears of their handicapped owners.
It takes a great deal of training for a dog
to qualify for this work. They must be at ease in all types
of living conditions such as heavy traffic, loud noises, crowded
pedestrian areas and with other animals. Because the standards
are so high for these dogs, as many as 50 percent are often
rejected from a typical guide dog program and placed in an
adopted home permanently.
The benefit of having such a dog is that
they are AKC registered purebreds, usually German Shepherds,
Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers. And even though
they did not complete the rigorous training program, they
are all exceptionally well-behaved, already housebroken and
intelligent. There is usually a long waiting list for these
dogs, sometimes up to two years. If you don't mind the delay,
you can call one of the many guide dog centers around the
country and ask to be included on their waiting list. Since
the cost of training a guide dog and master team is nearly
$20,000, most centers request a donation to help offset these
enormous costs.
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