"Post-90s" blind woman and her "prince"
The 28-year-old Chengdu girl Yuan Sili suffered from retinitis pigmentosa and had symptoms of difficulty in vision since she was a child. Around 2014, Yuan Sili was completely blind due to the deterioration of her condition. For this girl who is full of longing for the future, it is not only her world but also her heart that is shrouded in darkness. But the arrival of the guide dog "Prince" injected a warm light into her life.
Yuan Sili took the subway under the guidance of "Prince". Photo by Yang Yumin
"'Prince', find an upward escalator." Inside a subway station in Chengdu, the milky white labrador wore a red vest with the word "guide dog" and a guide saddle, and expertly obeyed the owner Yuan Sili. Instructed to bypass pedestrians and pillars dexterously and lead her to find the escalator. When there is no escalator and you need to go up the stairs, if the stairs are up, the guide dog "Prince" will put her two front legs on the steps; if the stairs are down, the "Prince" will stop in front of the stairs. Yuan Sili, who was pulling the blind saddle, judged the road condition by feeling the "prince" dynamics, and walked safely.
Yuan Sili traveled under the guidance of the "prince". Photo by Yue Yitong
Although this scene is staged almost every day, most Sichuanese have not actually seen a guide dog in person, because there are only 3 guide dogs in this province with a resident population of more than 90 million. "Prince" is one of them. .
Guide dog "Prince" daily work: able to autonomously judge obstacles and flexibly bypass
Yuan Sili usually works in the community where she lives, and also works part-time in a dark experience hall several times a week. Before the arrival of the "Prince", Yuan Sili's parents had to work hard to pick up their daughter and work. "My family had to pick me up before. Although I felt that I could take a blind stick to travel, my parents would not be at ease. When I go to work, they will be very tired. Occasionally, they want to go out and have to wait for their family to accompany me. ."
Before traveling, Yuan Sili wore a guide dog vest and a guide saddle for the "prince". Photo by Yue Yitong
Today, under the leadership of the "Prince", Yuan Sili has no problem traveling independently. Although it takes an hour to take the subway to the part-time location, for Yuan Sili, this time is no longer difficult because of the "Prince" company. Before going out every day, Yuan Sili will first take "Prince" to a defecation in a fixed place, and then put a blind saddle on it, and then carry out simple obedience training for "Prince", including passwords for sitting, lying, waiting, and getting up. "At this time,'Prince' will be in working condition." "'Prince' is very professional when working." Yuan Sili said that the guide dog will not urinate, sniff, bark everywhere when working, and will also take public transportation. Lie quietly beside yourself. At the same time, the guide dog can autonomously judge and bypass the travel obstacles to avoid injury to the owner.
Yuan Sili took the subway under the guidance of "Prince". Photo by Yang Yumin
"At the beginning, we were not sure whether the guide dog was really that powerful, so we followed it several times." Yuan Sili's father Yuan Longxue laughed. "Now we have a hundred hearts for'Prince'! We are usually at home It's fun to play and eat to work like a dog."
Yuan Sili plays with the "Prince" at home. Photo by Yue Yitong
Due to the small number of guide dogs in Sichuan, Yuan Sili also worried that the public would not accept and reject the larger “prince”. "Actually, I think too much. Whether you take the bus or the subway, everyone is very accommodating and friendly." Yuan Sili, who was thin and thin, stroking the soft hair of "Prince", admitted that she was more moved. "Some old people sometimes don't know the situation and they will ask, "Oh, how can a dog get on the subway?" At this time, the young people around me will take the initiative to explain to me that guide dogs are allowed to take public transportation."
It took four years of detours to meet the "prince": how to train a qualified guide dog?
Although it was only in 2019 that he really met the "prince", Yuan Sili submitted an application to the Chinese training dog Dalian Training Base as early as 2015. The reason why it took 4 years is because of the number of blind people applying for guide dogs in China and The number of qualified guide dogs is very different. The Dalian Training Base for Chinese Guide Dogs is one of the guide dog training bases established earlier in China, with a more complete training system and supporting the adoption of foreign blind persons. Wang Xin, director of the joint training department at the base, said that due to the high cost and high elimination rate, the number of guide dogs successfully trained each year is limited. "It takes about a year and a half to train a qualified guide dog, and the cost is as high as 150,000 to 200,000 yuan." Since its establishment in 2006, no more than 200 guide dogs have graduated from the base, while China's visually impaired The number of people exceeds 17 million. What links does a guide dog need to go through? Wang Xin said that the guide dogs currently being trained at the base include Labrador and Golden Retriever dog breeds. 60 days after the dog’s birth, he must first live in a foster family for one year. “This is the key link, mainly to cultivate its socialized cognition.” In this process, the dog and the person get along with people day by day, and will treat people as their lives. a part of. After 1 year, the dog will be sent to the base for training, including straight lines, stairs, elevators, escalators, avoiding fixed obstacles, moving obstacles, high-altitude obstacles, etc.
"Prince" guide dog work permit. Photo by Yue Yitong
"Guide dogs are for ordinary people, and we must consider the various obstacles that we may face in life." Wang Xin said that the nature of the guide dog's work determines that it needs to walk through the streets and have independent thinking and judgment. Ability, which is the reason for the high rate of elimination of guide dogs. "It is not clear where the owner will go in the future, so our training will involve a variety of road conditions." During the training process, the dog also faced a variety of tests such as personality, guts, attack response, etc., and could not overcome the fear within a certain period of time. Dogs with high or anxious status will be eliminated. After a batch of guide dogs "graduate", the base will contact the applicants in the order in which they submitted their applications, and conduct an on-site inspection of the applicant's life, working environment, etc., and then match them according to the applicant's personality, body type, travel route, etc. guide dog. "For example, Yuan Sili sometimes goes through a night market, and we matched her with a larger'prince', which can also play a protective role at a critical moment." After the matching is successful, the guide dog also needs to carry out a 90-day period with the owner After matching training and cultivating the tacit understanding, the guide dog can be officially "posted."
"It is a member of our family" Want to ask the popular science guide dogs
The arrival of "Prince" not only facilitated Yuan Sili's travel, but also changed Yuan Sili's state of mind and brought joy to her family. "With the companionship of'Prince', my daughter is in a better mood. Before, she was still relatively closed, and she slept in the room when she was okay. You asked her what, she was happy and promised a few words. Yuan Long said that not only did his daughter like "Prince", he and his wife also loved the guide dog very much, and the toys he bought for "Prince" were filled with two baskets. "You can't help but look at it with your eyes. When you're free, our family will take it to play, like a doll (child). There is a lot of laughter at home."
Yuan Sili plays with the "Prince" at home. Photo by Yue Yitong
"It is a member of our family. We are companionship and need each other." At ordinary times, Yuan Sili likes to publish the video of "Prince" on the short video APP. She said that in fact, the public still does not know enough about guide dogs. These videos objectively and comprehensively show people the work and life of guide dogs.
"'Prince' is docile and lovely. People usually come to tease and touch it when they travel. In fact, this will distract its attention and may even cause blind people to be injured." Yuan Sili said, thanking people for their love for "Prince", but if they encounter To guide dogs at work, please adhere to the principle of "don't ask, don't touch, don't call, don't refuse, and ask the blind whether they need help if they can."
Yuan Sili plays with the "Prince" at home. Photo by Yue Yitong
According to Wu Jun, chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Blind Association, there are about 1 million visually impaired people in Sichuan, but there are only 3 guide dogs. On the one hand, because of the difficulty in training guide dogs, on the other hand, everyone is still not enough for guide dogs. To understanding. In fact, guide dogs have already entered people's lives. In 1999, Shanghai stipulated that blind people can bring guide dogs into and out of public places or take public transportation; Chengdu Metro has allowed guide dogs to enter and exit subway stations with blind people since 2013; the “Beijing Rail Transit Operation Safety Regulations” that came into effect in May 2015 ”Stipulates that visually impaired persons bringing guide dogs into the station and traveling shall present their visually handicapped documents and guide dog certificates; "Several Regulations on Station Ride (Trial)" mentioned that blind people can bring guide dogs to the national train.
Yuan Sili traveled under the guidance of the "prince". Photo by Yue Yitong
"Maybe most blind people will find it inconvenient for them to take care of a dog. Others have poor economic conditions and cannot afford the cost of caring for guide dogs." Wu Jun said that in fact, with the development of technology, various guides Blind equipment and application software can play the role of guiding blind people. The guiding role of guide dogs is weakened to a certain extent, but the companionship of guide dogs and the flexibility to respond to emergencies are irreplaceable. "Moreover, compared with cold equipment, guide dogs have greater companionship for visually impaired people, especially those who are not born blind, and can help visually impaired people get out of their closed hearts and relieve loneliness." It is reported that Sichuan The Provincial Association for the Blind plans to popularize knowledge about guide dogs through forums and exchange meetings.
Yuan Sili traveled under the guidance of the "prince". Photo by Yue Yitong
"'Prince' is 3 years old this year, and guide dogs are required to serve up to 10 years in good health according to regulations. After that, they have to return to their foster families to support their old age. I dare not think about it, and I am reluctant." Yuan Sili, who was playing with toys with the prince, couldn't help crying. "Hopefully the'Prince' will stay with me, and I want to go to many places with it."
Author: according to Tong Yue