Guide dogs: Where do they really come from?

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

Guide dogs: Where do they really come from?

By Rebecca Seales
BBC News

24 December 2018

Guide dogs are like politicians or Santa Claus: it's a bit hard to imagine them as babies.

But while I've never had a playpen of MPs crawling around my living room (promise…), I can't say the same about guide dog puppies.

This is the story of where guide dogs for blind and partially-sighted people really come from. It includes: why they wear nail-varnish as soon as they're born, why they're never scared of fireworks, and why you really must play them Guns N' Roses.

Settle in, team. The pups and I have a tail we'd like to tell you…

-snip-

Why did these creatures, destined for life-changing work, enter the world in a bungalow in the Midlands instead of a high-tech vet's surgery? The answer is that it's standard practice. Every year, about 1,400-1,500 such pups are born in the UK, and Guide Dogs' 270 breeding mothers live with volunteers as full-time pets.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46595733

[KT2000]

1. my neighbor trains puppies

that are destined to be guide dogs. They leave her for more advanced training but she starts with little pups.
They are all so cute - goofy at first and then very calm and attentive to her.

[mitch96]

2. I'm curious how the "rejects" would be as just pets?

If they are bred for temperament and obedience that would be a plus, no?
m