Past Programs
Belton Lions Club
PO Box 424
Belton, SC
February 20, 2003 Meeting
Guide Dogs & Puppy Raisers
Our speaker for the February meeting was Jim Durrance of Ivy Creek Guide Dogs located in Abbeville, South Carolina. And our special guest was one of the current guide dogs being trained: Judge. Ivy Creek is a relatively new, privately funded guide dog program which plans to graduate 12 dogs per year.
Mr. Durrance explained to the Lion's how the guide dog system works.
All guide dogs are Labs and provided by one breeder in North Carolina. All physical aspects of the dog are tested and specifically selected for the guide dog program. In addition, a microchip is implanted at the shoulder blades under the skin to identify the dog if ever missing.
To introduce the dog into the guide dog program, puppies are presented to Puppy Raisers at 8 weeks old. The puppy raisers are volunteers who take the puppies into their homes and expose them to the world. In addition, they take the puppies to obedience school. Usually, the puppies stay with the volunteer from one year to eighteen months. Then, it's back to training for 4-6 months at Ivy Creek where the Guide Dog skills are taught. After training, the Guide Dog is matched up with a blind person: active dog meets active person. A guesthouse is provided at Ivy Creek for a 4 week stay by the blind person (and guest) during the introduction process. Both the blind person and guide dog go through daily training for 4 weeks, 6 days a week. A bond must be formed for the dog and blind person to work together. During this time, only the blind person takes care of the dog, feeds the dog, and commands the dog. The blind person determines when it is safe to cross the street; not the dog. The individual determines the flow of the traffic, the sequence of the lights, etc. The dog stops at all obstructions. Ivy Creek teaches Intelligence Disobedience. A dog is given a command that is unsafe for the dog, and he has to be intelligent enough to not take the command. For example, during training, the dogs are taken to Portman Marina's dock and walked to the end of the dock. The dog stops at the end. Even if the blind person commands, the dog stops. After the process is complete, the two go out to face the world together.
Currently, 16 puppies are with puppy raisers. Three will return for training at Ivy Creek in March. More will return in June. If you want to learn more about Ivy Creek, you can check out their web site at http://www.ivycreekguidedogs.com.
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