Guide dog sizing
A guide dog got on the train the other day with its owner. I find it fascinating watching guide dogs work; the way they instantly snap into readiness as soon as their harness is on is really touching. Andâas far as you can tell from all the waggingâthey really enjoy their work.
The thing that caught my attention about this particular guide dog was its size. It was a huge hearth rug of a dog, part German Shepherd and part a variety of other big and slightly wolf-like dogs. After its harness was taken off, it tried to curl up in the spaces between people’s feetâwith only partial success. I was quite touched by the way it kept trying to squish itself into a smaller parcel as more passengers got on. I think guide dogs are trained to tuck themselves away when off duty outside the home.
For probably the first time, I wondered whether you need to be fitted for a guide dog. I don’t just mean that you need to find a dog you can work with happily, and who bonds with you, but also one that’s the right height for you. This dog’s owner was pretty tall, and I suppose that it’s a good idea for the dog’s back to be quite close to your hand so that you feel his movement clearly through as short a length of harness handle as possible.
As soon as the dog heard the announcement for New Street Station (or perhaps when he noticed his owner react slightly to the announcement), he jumped up, gave a cavernous yawn, shook his rug-like pelt and looked towards his owner. Once the harness was on, you saw the look of concentration in his eyes, and he and his perfectly matched human were off.
