The method by which the dog and man work together is simple. The dog
guide does not take her master to his destination without being told
where to go. It is not generally appreciated, but blind people develop an
adequate mental picture of their own communities. All they need is a
means by which they may be guided around _their_ picture. In a strange
city they ask directions as anyone else would. It is simple to remember
the blocks and to remember also when to go right or left. In familiar
territory people with eyesight do not look for the name of every street.
The master directs his dog by oral commands of "right," "left" or
"forward." But it is the dog that guides the master. By means of the
handle of the leather harness which he holds lightly in his left hand,
she takes him around pedestrians, sidewalk obstructions, automobiles,
anything which may interfere with his safe progress. The pace is rapid,
rather faster than that of the average pedestrian. Upon arriving at
street crossings the dog guides her master to the edge of the curb and
stops. He finds the edge immediately with his foot or cane and then gives
his guide the necessary command for the direction in which he wishes to
go.
The dog can be depended upon to do her part. Her lessons have been
thorough, particularly those which teach her to think for herself. She
must pass the school's rigid "blindfold" test in which her instructor's
eyes are bandaged so that he is, for practical purposes, blind. She is
then tested under the most difficult conditions, on streets and
intersections and in the heaviest of pedestrian and auto traffic. She
does not look at traffic lights but at traffic. When she passes she can
be certified as ready for her blind master.
Not every blind person can use a dog guide. Some are too young, many too
old. Some do not like dogs. But conservative estimates indicate that
there are about 10,000 in America who would benefit through a dog guide.
It is understandable that leading workers for the blind, business men and
women, are urging The Seeing Eye to extend its facilities as rapidly as
is consistent with the maintenance of the highest possible standards.