Question about guide dogs for the blind

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

There are text to text phones...

and services run by BT (I think) where speak is typed by operators, or spoken - so communication can take place between a normal phone and a text baced one.

Speech Relay or something.. yep, even the deaf have telephones.

(and dogs to tell them when it's ringing.....)

OK, then DOG-guru. Explain me THIS.

Why do sniffer-dogs work for a rate of pay that even the lowliest offshore call centre worker would turn their, er, nose up at. What's going on there then? It's like, OK, good BOY! You just found 2 kilos of coke under that wheel-arch there. Cos us humans would never ever have thought of looking THERE. Now here's the ball - FETCH! Good BOY! Keep up the good work and I'll throw that ball TWICE!

WTF

Sheer exploitation of the workers IMHO

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

The telephones for the deaf have flashing lights. Hearing aids have loops. Not all deaf people are stone deaf. There are lots of degrees of deafness.

Same as the blind - only 6% of registered blind people have no sight at all.

Guide dogs are trained to take the person to certain areas - the training is so intensive for a guide dog it's unreal!!! I spent a day with a blind man who was teaching us about his life and how his dog was trained etc.

Also, the dog tends to wait until it gets home, but if theyre out for a long time, they can alert the person. About the poop scoop thing - i'm not sure how that works!!

 

[Questions]

how do blind skydivers know when to pull the ripcord on their parachutes ?





....










....


















.....














.... They wait till the lead goes slack.







ok ok I`m going.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Another question: how come other dogs don't try and hump them: that's what most dogs seem to do to each other when they meet in the street, either that or sniff each other's bums. Obviously you can train the guide dog not to react to other mutts, but you can't train some scraggy mongrel to stay away from these saintly labradors, can you?

Maybe guide dogs are like the Mother Teresa of the canine world, and other dogs know instinctively it would be plain wrong.



<edits: Roz, that was uncanny!>

Its probably the fluorescent jacket that they are wearing - the other dog thinks it must be a police dog and behaves.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Why do they have signs on doors that say "Guide Dogs Only". Can they read as well?

Should we be scared of them?

No they cannot , as proved by one guide dog that always tries to take his owner through the no entry gates at the supermarket where I work.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Also, say a blind person wants to buy a tin of Heinz tomato soup. The dog might lead him to the right aisle, at the command 'Soup, Rover', but when he gets there how does he manage to pick up a Tomato can as opposed to say a Mulligatawny or a Scotch Broth?

Its like blind MAGIC.

If the persons vision is impaired there is no need for them to ask the dog to take them to the appropriate aisle. An employee will act as a personal shopper and take them around the store. You get job satisfaction by helping someone as you are normally doing a running commentary of what is happening around you. Apart from telling them the cost of the item you sometimes have to let them feel the product ( like buying a floormop for instance ) to find out if it is suitable for them or not.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

Its probably the fluorescent jacket that they are wearing - the other dog thinks it must be a police dog and behaves.

Not in Nipper's case. He's a bit "Whatever" about the police.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Also, the dog tends to wait until it gets home, but if theyre out for a long time, they can alert the person. About the poop scoop thing - i'm not sure how that works!!

Last year we had the RNIB collecting in store. One of the guide dogs disgraced himself in the foyer by dropping a massive turd. It was quickly scooped up before any trolleys squished through it.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

Is there anything they can't do?

Apart from ice skating?

*sent dog for coat*

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

There are text to text phones...

and services run by BT (I think) where speak is typed by operators, or spoken - so communication can take place between a normal phone and a text based one.

Speech Relay or something.. yep, even the deaf have telephones.

(and dogs to tell them when it's ringing.....)

The service is called TypeTalk and is run by the RNID which is supported by BT. The call centre is in Liverpool. Most deaf youngsters use their mobiles to text each other rather than use the TypeTalk relay service which is more specific to landline usage.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Is there anything they can't do?

Apart from ice skating?

Have you seen the Aussie dog that jumps on his surfboard as the wave comes in ? wicked.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Same as the blind - only 6% of registered blind people have no sight at all.

The cheeky fake-blind CHARLATANS I suppose the other 94% are just hustling for the reduced rate TV licence.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

The cheeky fake-blind CHARLATANS I suppose the other 94% are just hustling for the reduced rate TV licence.

There are many forms of visual impairment. Leeds supporters are afflicted by one condition , known as tunnel vision. . On a more serious note lets hope that you dont end up with cataracts when you get older.

 

[ac gull]

Edna - guide dogs have a "puppy walker" owner for their first 12 months or so that starts to train them / ensure they are up to the job

There is then a detailed selection process ( 30 page questionnaire ) to match people wanting dogs with 12 month old ones - re matching personalities / active lifestyles / temperamant of dog etc

After the "match" is made there is then a three month training process for the dog to learn it's new owners daily routines / places it will need to guide them to - the dog and owner both get pretty intensive training during this period

After that the dog will serve about 8 or 9 years with it's blind / partially sighted owner - then goes into retirement and lives with family friend etc - but can't really stay with old owner as they will now have their replacement guide dog

Went to a guide dog type coffee morning / open day in H Heath a few weeks ago where learnt all of above

 

[hans kraay fan club]

How do they fill out the 30 page questionaire though? Don't tell me they have SECRETARY DOGS too?

 

[footychick]

My 2nd cousin in America trains guide dogs.

 

[Nibble]

My 2nd cousin in America trains guide dogs.

My wife's ex husband's hairdresser in Poland trains hitmen.

 

[glasfryn]

This is the way forward !

YouTube - Guide Cat

not very PC S/B but nevertheless hilarious and taking the link over to my cat forums (I don't remember this Hale and Pace bit)

thanks for that.

 

[Gazwag]

There are text to text phones...

and services run by BT (I think) where speak is typed by operators, or spoken - so communication can take place between a normal phone and a text based one.

Speech Relay or something.. yep, even the deaf have telephones.

(and dogs to tell them when it's ringing.....)

which is very off putting, I had a long conversation with a deaf person a few years ago through this service, its a bit like interviewing Capello, you say your part of the conversation and have to wait for that to be typed and then then deaf person types their reply which the operator speaks to you.

Its a bit like have a text message conversation without the luxury of having your text message you sent available if you cant remember exactly what you said.

 

[Easy 10]

You get job satisfaction by helping someone as you are normally doing a running commentary of what is happening around you. Apart from telling them the cost of the item you sometimes have to let them feel the product ( like buying a floormop for instance ) to find out if it is suitable for them or not.

That could be fun at the sausage / black pudding counter.