Guide dogs aim to make friends online

Blind people in the city can now apply for a guide dog online. Fourteen seeing-eye dogs are already working in Shanghai, and in May, the city issued a new amendment to the regulation on dog administration, permitting guide dogs to accompany their owners on board public transport. "Still, few people know about it, and we've launched the website to provide information and knowledge about guide dogs," said a spokeswomen surnamed Zhu, from Shanghai Disabled-Aid Resource Center, which is in charge of the website www.shguidedogs.com, which was launched on Nov 10. Although Shanghai metro and bus companies received official notification about the change in May, people with guide dogs have still encountered some difficulties trying to use public transport. "It's the other passengers who get annoyed," Zhu said, "they complain to the driver: 'How come a dog can take the bus?' Some people are afraid of dogs and all the guide dogs are Labradors, which is quite a large breed, and they weigh between 27 and 34 kilograms." But she said that when people see the dogs sitting obediently by their owners, "most people realize seeing-eye dogs behave well and never bark or bite." "That's why it's particularly important to educate the public about seeing-eye dogs," she said. Zhu and her colleagues will also remind the applicants about potential opposition for a dog from their employers. Zhu suggested that other dog owners also should show consideration to those with guide dogs and ideally should keep their pets on a lead. "Unleashed pets sometimes approach guide dogs, and the working dog can be distracted." People should also not touch, feed or play with a guide dog when it is working for the same reason, Zhu added. Li Ping, a masseuse from Shanghai, told a local newspaper about other challenges she and her guide dog face. "There are many obstacles to be found in the pavement, bicycles, fire hydrates and newsstands," Li told Labor Daily. Li has also been refused entrance to restaurants because of her dog. "No matter how much I explained, they just wouldn't let me in." Zhu added despite the problems the owners of the 14 guide dogs are very happy with them and appreciate their service. "The dogs have developed a strong emotional bond with their owners," she said. Shanghai launched the guide dog training program in collaboration with a police dog training research institute in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, in 2007. All the dogs are bred and trained there before coming to work in Shanghai. The only other Chinese city that has guide dogs is Dalian, in Northeast China's Liaoning province.