Dog days get to everybody - especially a blind man whose canine helper is booted

[responsiblek9]

http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/08/04/1718552-sun.html


It is mid-afternoon on one of the hottest days of this millennium. Blind man Stanley Gonciarz enters the Pizza Pizza at the corner of Yonge and Cumberland. He's wearing his dark blind-man shades. He's got his white cane.

He has his guide dog, Tinker.
 

And this, if a book can be judged by its cover, may be where the problem begins, and why Stanley Gonciarz got asked to take his dog outside while he ate his slice and drank his pop.

In the world of guide dogs, where German shepherds and golden retrievers are the text book examples, Tinker matches the mental image of a blind person's best friend about as much as a pot-bellied pig on a leash.

[fledchen]

I'd be very interested to know how the dog "guides" him on a loose leash. There is a technique that guide dog handlers use called leash guiding, where they hold the leash very close to the collar and follow the dog slowly. It's used when taking the dog out to relieve itself to remove any association between relieving and wearing the working harness. However, it is not an efficient technique because the leash does not provide the detailed tactile feedback of a rigid handle.

[responsiblek9]

Actually with the right leash and a bit of training the handler you can do it on leash. But there is the issue of the turns where the handler may tend to swing wide on a leash. I would be curious to see how they resolved that issue myself.

[Kirsten]

I have to say I am skeptical about a dog that size doing that sort of work.  I think the fact that he also had a cane is a clue.  Why would a person with a guide dog also need a cane (at the same time)?  What information would a cane add over and above what a trained guide dog could give?

[responsiblek9]

Now this i have seen in denver
 persons with guide dogs also using a cane . The dog would stop and they would check what was in front . usually looking for the bumps on the edge for the crosswalk markers.

[fledchen]

Some blind people who work with dog guides will also use canes as a supplemental mobility aid, and to help identify them as blind (i.e., to alert drivers when they are crossing the street at a non-controlled intersection). Using a cane is a different mobility technique from using a dog. A dog is an obstace avoider, and a cane is an obstacle detector. If you're looking for a specific landmark to keep you oriented in a familiar environment (or if you're "looking" around for something like a bus stop sign or a trash can), a cane can be very helpful. In addition to helping detect objects, a cane provides tactile feedback about the pavement surface. You can accomplish a similar effect by scuffing your feet, but it's cheaper to replace a cane tip (they usually cost between $1-$5) than to get your shoes re-soled. Tapping canes can also provide audio feedback (kind of like sonar) that can help keep a person oriented to their environment. For example, I can usually hear where parked cars and power/telephone poles (but not trees for some reason) and other large objects are in a quiet neighborhood.

[fledchen]

This guy claims his dog is an "Alaskan Husky" but the description sounds more like an American Eskimo Dog or some other small spitz breed or crossbreed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaskan_husky

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Eskimo_Dog

For what it's worth. 

[blkpanther0001]

living in alaska every day i see alot of the "alaska huskies" they usually weigh between 40-60lbs. they are not small fluff balls.

[Kirsten]

Thanks Nora and Betsy for explaining about using a guide dog and cane simultaneously.  One thing I really like about this forum is the opportunity to learn more about how service dogs are used for disabilities other than my own.  It helps me to better understand where my fellow PWDs with SDs are coming from.  It's also handy to be able to compare SDs with other assistive devices and learn the advantages and disadvantages of each.

[whitehusky]

When the article said "Miniature Alaskan Husky," I immediately thought of the Alaskan Klee Kai. It's too bad they didn't have a photo to go along with the article.