Written by Mark Enston 2007
You're crazy! A Rottweiler for a guide dog? I have grown used to people doing a double-take when Bella and I are out and about. Bella is my second Rottweiler guide dog and like her predecessor, Grip, she has greatly improved my mobility.
My eyesight went AWOL in the early 1990's but I never considered using a dog to guide me. I bought Grip from Kameraden Rottweiler Kennels in the mid-nineties as a pet. ( Grip's story )
After being convinced to train Grip as a guide dog, I soon realised Rottweilers were intelligent and loyal dogs. Nearly fifteen years on, and with my second rotty, Bella, I have learned to respect the intelligence and devotion of these amazing canines.
Despite Grip winning the Canine Hero 2000 RNSWCC Award, I was often refused entry into public places and taxis. I approached the relevant Blind Associations for further training and accreditation for Grip, and later for Bella, but they were not interested unless I used one of their dogs. They had their rules and I had my conviction that Rotties made excellent dogs for guiding work for the blind. I was encouraged when Grip's story got magazine, newspaper and Internet exposure and I had emails from other people who use Rottweilers as service dogs. Police in NSW and Victoria use them and other blind people emailed me who also use Rotties for guiding. A woman in the U.S was particularly militant about the lack of help for blindies with other breeds of dogs.
Grip passed away in 2002, so I contacted Kameraden Kennels and procured a dog with the same blood-line as Grip. At eighteen months, I initially thought Bella may be too old to learn the skills involved with being a guide for a blind person. Thankfully, I was way off the mark! Bella thrived on the discipline and work. Within three short months, Bella was walking me onto buses, trains and negotiating the busy city streets of Perth. I had learned the skills from Grip's instructor so I applied these to Bella and she responded accordingly. We were still knocked back for help or accreditation from the guide dog groups here in Western Australia.
Toward the end of 2006, I received a call from Seeing-Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA) in Melbourne. They expressed an interest and their senior instructor, Ian Cox, and management staff, Paul Harboud, came over to Perth to check out the rumour that a blind person wanted his Rottweiler trained as a seeing-eye dog. They were suitably impressed and Bella was booked in for April-May of 2007 for accreditation testing. I was confident of Bella's abilities but did not know anything about the benchmark for seeing-eye dogs. Perhaps Bella might be expected to jump through hoops of fire or dive off a 100-meter cliff into the pounding surf and rescue a drowning child; I had no idea!
Bella's assessment took place between 1 May and 15 May 2007. Ian Cox, of Seeing-eye dogs Australia, conducted the certification process. Ian is a member of The International Guide Dog Federation and is an accredited international assessor. His job with SEDA involves working as national manager of breeding, kennels and breeding services, veterinary care, adoption, international Liaison and is their senior Seeing Eye dog instructor.
On the first day, Ian observed Bella and me doing a round trip to the local shops of about four kilometres; Bella did not put a paw wrong. On the following day, Ian told me to do the same trip, while he got in his car and drove off. In the first block, a lunatic wildly reversed out of a driveway in front of Bella and Me. Bella stopped immediately and swore in Canine. It was Ian! As he drove off, he called out that Bella had done very well.
The rest of the trip was thrilling, as a random driver, Ian Cox, tried his best to run us down or spook the dog. Bella was fine, although I was rather nervous. Before we reached the shops, Bella recognised Ian's car and refused to cross the road when she spotted his vehicle waiting to pounce from behind a parked car.
The two weeks of the certification process demanded Bella and I demonstrate
proficiency in the following criteria:
Health, veterinary and general health clearance, Temperament viz. deemed
to be of a friendly disposition to other dogs & children and of a general
sound disposition.
Bella was then measured against the following criteria: In-house obedience - general obedience - recall - social behaviour - general orientation - client use of landmarks - following technique - turns viz. left, right, back etc. - Control (physical & vocal) - Praise - Curb approach viz. straight or not - stopping at down curb - road crossings - approach to up-curb viz. she always checks my footing as we approach step up - safety on road crossings - right shoulder work/clearance - Height obstacles - Off-curb obstacles - traffic work/decisions about traffic safety (impromptu) - Near & far traffic from left & right - controlled crossing points - public transport viz. bus, train , taxi - escalators - moving walkways - steps - non-pavement conditions - night walks - distraction management viz. cats, birds, other dogs, food etc - Application of control viz. speed in crowds etc.
The assessment took place in a wide variety of locations and times.
There will be on-going follow-ups to check on Bella's progress and that
she is maintaining her current standard of work
Follow-up will help with any new destinations, including inquiries over
the phone, email or hands-on.
Bella passed all criteria and now sports her new and fancy glow-in-the-dark
Seeing-Eye dog harness and lead. The public appear to be more confident
and assured when they see the well-known name of SEDA on her harness. Bella
has never been short of pats from people, but now I think she is about
to overdose on pats, praise and kudos. It has been a journey of more than
a decade, but thanks to the open-minds of Seeing-Eye Dogs Australia, I
feel I have been vindicated for my choice of Rottweiler for my guide.