Charles Bloch still remembers his first outing with his guide dog Carlo seven years ago. But his Labrador is about to retire and his visually impaired master knows there’s a long waiting list for a new companion.
“I saw the benefits immediately. And I told myself it would change a lot of things for me,” says Charles Bloch, 29, who works at a theater in Coventry, in central England.
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Carlo, a Golden Retriever Labrador mix, “a bit cheeky” but “hard worker” has become “like his right arm.”
But within two years, Carlo, 9, will be hanging up his leash and retiring, which usually occurs after 6 or 7 years of service. But you have to wait a long time for a new companion.
The halt to breeding and training puppies during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a “significant delay”, says Guide Dogs, the UK’s largest guide dog trainer.
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“We couldn’t train dogs or train people. Eventually we were allowed to restart, but very gradually and slowly,” says Tony Murray, Chief Operating Officer at Guide Dogs in Leamington Spa, central England.
Brexit has also had an impact on recruitment. But guide dog trainers do a “really unique” job.
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The wait for a guide dog is at least a year, “but probably closer to 18 months and in some cases two years,” he says.
If Carlo weren’t substituted, Charles Bloch would have to use the cane again.
“I don’t have to worry too much with Carlo. I tell him to turn left, he turns left.”
When they walk together, Carlo, equipped with his harness, navigates between obstacles and notifies his master when they approach stairs or an intersection.
Charles Bloch, who retains some of his sight, could use a cane to get around, although it limited him “a little more”. For those who cannot see at all, losing their guide dog would be “very debilitating,” he stresses.
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“You already feel cut off from the world. So if they didn’t have a dog, they would feel even more withdrawn.
“The ultimate goal” is to have a backup dog when a guide dog retires, but “you can’t get a dog on call,” says Tony Murray.
He says he is “very confident” they can return to pre-pandemic levels, but it will take time.
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The education and training of a guide dog for the blind takes several months.
At a few weeks old, the puppies will live with volunteers for initial socialization and basic training. Between 12 and 14 months, dogs begin their formal training, which lasts around 22 weeks.
The success rate is less than 60%, but if successful, the dogs are assigned to a handler.
In the center of Leamington Spa, Zoey Scott trains a young dog through an obstacle course made of plastic roadblocks and traffic cones.
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It takes “a lot of mental energy” for dogs to keep up with training, she explains.
But “I’m happy to see the dogs I’ve trained making a difference and to see the smiles on their master’s faces.”
Before he had Carlo, Charles Bloch recalls feeling at university that there was a “big barrier” with other people and that he had a hard time getting to know people.
“But with Carlo, that barrier went away in a few days because everyone wanted to say hello and discuss.”
He even affirms that it has improved his results. And during the graduation ceremony, they went on stage together.