Service dogs for the blind

My brother had a service dog because he was physically disabled, not blind. The dog was sweet and obedient but he did often seem bored and lonely.

I started spending about an hour every day to play with him like a normal dog and he really started perking up after that. He still did all of his normal duties and didn't let his training slip but he moped around and sighed less. I know a lot of service dogs don't get that which is sad

>>2293702
I live across the street from a guide dog academy, and walk with the trainers often. One of the things most opponents won't say (because they are against all forms of pet ownership under the PETA rubric, and are mildly insane), is that the majority of dogs that start the training flunk out long before their final exam. And since most guide dogs are retrievers, the flunk outs tend to exhibit breed characteristics that make them more excellent field dogs, or family dogs, which they usually become.

So the dogs that graduate are entirely the dogs best naturally suited to do the job. Their disposition to imprint their humans and devote themselves is the highest motivation for them, and they love their job. The MRI Dog project at Emory is bearing this out, and the Peter Singer types are really pissed about it, because it gives dogs a special status among animals.

>>2293702
yeah we have a program at my university. person socializes them for a year, and then they get sent to the patient.

I don't think they have it that bad, but sometimes you can see the ones in training that really want to just run around a play, and try so hard to suppress it because they know it would be considered bad. it's a little sad

>>2293943
I don't know what Peter Singer's thoughts on dogs are but
>jew
I don't trust him

Thanks for your posts. It made me decide to keep supporting these guys, which are the only ones in this country that train and give guide dogs for free for blind people and also autistic children.

I worked at Righteous Pups for around three weeks on placement. A place that trains service dogs mostly for autistic children.
I can kind of understand the "surpressed" part. Puppies weren't allowed to play at all, even outside of training. They had to be crated when not being actively worked with. The older dogs on the other hand lived for their work. Nothing made them happier than being asked to bring their owner an object. They seemed happy enough to lay around with their trainer and wait for a command. While they never get to be "normal" dogs for the first few years of their life, they were still treated better than the average house pet.

>>2293705
My cousin also had a service dog because he was wheelchair-bound. Around the house, he was pretty much treated like a pet, even if he wouldn't leave my cousin's side ever unless he was sent to fetch something. He was only in serious job mode out of the house and it was almost like seeing a different dog.

to my understanding service dogs love their work and are generally more stimulated than house dogs because they're by their owners side far more often. from what it sounds like this is a learned behaviour, learned by only the most suitable dogs.

>>2294050
>Puppies weren't allowed to play at all, even outside of training. They had to be crated when not being actively worked with.


that's so heartbreaking and adorable and i want to go and play with those puppies so fucking badly

>>2293958
He's PETA's go-to philosopher. Famously made the argument that there is no ethical dilemma if faced with having to choose between saving a human baby versus a kitten from a burning house. It's morally equivalent.

So when you hear these types (many vegans cross over) arguing that some or another form of dog work is cruel, remember these are the baby-sacrificing students of an insane academic who fooled them all to get tenure.

>>2294484
Philosopher's are so fucking useless. I wish it wasn't a career, I don't want to keep paying for it with my taxes.

>>2293702
Only morons who humanize dogs would think this.
The breeds used as guide dogs love what they do, they need a job. Certain breeds, especially herding breeds, crave a job. They need that goal driven satisfaction.

puppies bred to be guide dogs have something like a 33% chance of becoming actual guides

they literally cannot suffer. they love and live for their work. if they can't hack it they join the majority ranks of guide dog drop outs

There's a partially blind guy who lives in our apartment block with his guide dog. I occasionally hear the dog barking and howling for hours. That's when I know their owner's family came to pick him up and left the dog in the tiny apartment.

I also once saw a service dog with it's owner boarding the train. The dog sat underneath the seating behind the man's legs and stared blankly forward. I have never seen a more depressed looking dog in my life. I felt second hand depression just looking at it.

>>2294917
ive had that experience too seeing someone on the train with their guide dog, it was first standing for a while until the guy shuffled a bit until it sat, looked pretty bored to me.

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>>2294796
>calls people morons for humanizing dogs
>proceeds to humanize dogs

I had a family friend with a guide dog. I think they're trailed to be in "work mode" when the halter is on, then act like normal dogs when the halter is off. He'd run around and play like normal at home or the dog park.

>>2294917
So the problem would be certain owners neglecting their dogs. Like with any other "regular" dog.

>be at a bonfire with a bunch of people I don't know that well
>blind dude with a guide dog sits next to me
>his dog is stuck right next to the fire
>keeps looking at my mug of water
>I push the mug closer to the dog because it looks thirsty
>dog starts drinking like it's super dehydrated
>Blind guy (who is also mildly deaf): What does she have? Is she eating something?
>Me: Your dog just was panting and looked really thirsty. It's just my water. It's totally fine, I can get another mug.
>Blind guy: Oh no. She's just super spoiled.
>He makes her stop drinking
>I leave the mug there anyway
>Dog continues to gobble water down while his back is turned
They do train the blind person to whom they give the dogs how to treat them, too, right? Like, they need a pretty constant source of water?

>>2294784

It's really not, though.

P.S. Training a SAR dog and it's fun. We have fun.