So many times when you read an article in the news or in a discussion of young children using Service Dogs you see the example, “They would not forbid a child taking their Seeing Eye (Guide Dog) …”<\/p>\n
One major point not taken into consideration is that national (most) guide dog schools do not train and give guide dogs to young children<\/strong>\u00a0so access issues are not even part of the issue.<\/p>\n The Seeing Eye (Morristown, NJ)<\/a>:<\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0 “Applicant must be between the ages of 16 and 75, motivated and emotionally stable, capable of walking one to two miles a day, and able to receive and implement instruction.”<\/p>\n Southeastern Guide Dogs:<\/a><\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0 “Age: You must be at least 18 years old.** There is no upper age limit.” \u00a0and \u00a0“**For children between the ages of 10 and 18, see information on our Canine Connections program.”<\/p>\n “Good stewardship demands that we carefully place all of our dogs, so these career-changed dogs are hand-picked for other valuable areas of service. When we find a particularly gentle and loyal dog that must be career changed, we match it with a visually impaired child through our Canine Connections program.<\/p>\n Our Canine Connections Program<\/a> builds a bridge between the child of today and the independent guide dog handler of tomorrow. Visually impaired children gain confidence as they learn how to care for the dog’s needs: feeding, grooming, walking, and playing. The children gain a faithful companion, as well as a sense of ownership, responsibility and maturity. And when the day comes for them to train with a guide dog, they’ll experience a smooth transition to freedom and independence.”<\/p>\n Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB)<\/a><\/strong>: \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0“Q: How old do you have to be to train with a Guide Dog? \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0A: Because it takes a level of maturity, discipline and commitment to work with a Guide Dog, the majority of our students are 16 and older. There is no upper age limit for people who have the health and stamina to work with a Guide Dog.”<\/p>\n Guide Dogs of America<\/a>:<\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0“Applicants should be at least 18 years old, but there is no upper age limit.”<\/p>\n Fidelco:<\/a><\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0“Orientation and mobility training-We require our applicants to have \u201cO&M\u201d training before being considered for a Fidelco guide dog. This includes using a white cane, learning street crossings in your community and the\u00a0like. O&M training can be obtained at a local agency for the blind.”<\/p>\n Leader Dogs for the Blind:<\/strong> <\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0“Leader Dog recipients must be at least 16 years old, …”<\/p>\n Pilot Dogs:<\/a><\/strong> Guide Dogs of Texas: <\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>“Each applicant needs to have had training using a long cane and be sufficiently mobile to work effectively with a dog.” \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0and \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0“… the criteria of being legally blind, being a resident of Texas, being at least 17 years of age, knowing and walking routes independently, and crossing streets without sighted assistance.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So many times when you read an article in the news or in a discussion of young children using Service Dogs you see the example, “They would not forbid a child taking their Seeing Eye (Guide Dog) …” One major … Continue reading
\n“Pilot Dogs, Inc. does ask our prospective students to be a minimum of a junior in high school. The applicant needs to be legally blind and physically capable of caring for and receive benefit from a guide dog.”
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