30-04-2025
Memories of guide dogs: the four-legged friends who never failed us
Today is International Guide Dog Day, and what better excuse to show pictures of gorgeous golden retrievers and lovely labradors?
Quaver with his owner Chris Clarry and Stanwix year five teacher Tess Worden (Image: Louise Porter) The day is celebrated in support of the community that trains and benefits from guide dogs.
The 14th Carlisle Brownies produced a book to raise money for Guide Dogs (Image: Newsquest) These may have been around since 79AD, a fact which was discovered when paintings of guide dogs being used to help the blind were uncovered on the excavations in Pompeii, Italy.
A blind and visually impaired awareness day at the Stagecoach depot at Lillyhall with guide dogs Zoe and Odette (Image: Newsquest) Guide dogs have been used in various countries throughout the centuries, such as ancient China and medieval Europe. During the 1700s and 1800s, historians and anthropologists seem to have encountered more observations of guide dogs through children's nursery rhymes and stories.
Members of Kirklinton YFC raised £1,000 for Guide Dogs for the Blind in 1990 (Image: Newsquest) However, even though they had been used in previous times, it wasn't until the mid-1800s that some of the first legislation recognising guide dogs started to appear. One such activity was noted in 1838, when the British parliament exempted licence fees for 'shepherds' dogs' and 'those kept by the blind as guides'.
Training guide dogs in Carlisle in 1986 (Image: Newsquest)
This type of legislation benefits those who keep dogs that help them with their work or with disabilities.
Linda Benett from Carlisle with her guide dog Unity (Image: Newsquest) The early 1900s saw the organised training of guide dogs for blind people, and in 1934, the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association was established in the United Kingdom.
Brook Street Primary School held a Dress Up as a Pup Day to sponsor three guide dog puppies (Image: Newsquest) People who lived in the era of the Second World War saw extensive use of these kinds of helping dogs, specifically for veterans who had lost their sight in the midst of war due to chemical related injuries. And although communities have made much progress in the way of guide dogs, many people don't realise that it wasn't until 2010 that the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) helped establish legal rules for those with disabilities who are in need of guide dogs.
A Halloween non-uniform day at Irthington School to raise money for Guide Dogs (Image: Newsquest) International Guide Dog Day was started in 1992 to honour the work that these service dogs provide for people with visual disabilities everywhere. These dogs have skills including leading a blind person around an area, assisting with a hobby, picking up dropped items, providing emotional comfort during their service and much more. This is why guide dogs are some of the best service dogs to have.
