GUIDE & SERVICE
The amazing work that specially trained dogs perform for people: leading sight-impaired individuals through a busy life, being therapeutic for people dealing with crises, and bravely supporting police and military efforts. Here are some of their stories.
Making Smart DecisionsGuide dogs do amazing work. They help blind people go through life safely, whether it's crossing the street on the way to work, getting around a pothole, or walking through a crowd without bumping into anyone. To move ahead, guide dogs listen closely to a person's commands. But guide dogs are not just robots following orders...READ MORE |
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Breeding Better Guide DogsMost of us have seen guide dogs, watching them lead someone through a busy crowd or across an intersection. Perhaps you have marveled at how the guide remains focused, unperturbed by people reaching out for a pet, kids running by, or other dogs trying to play. Those German Shepherds or Labrador Retrievers you see...READ MORE |
For most dog-show enthusiasts, winning at Westminster would be the highlight of their lives, the trophy and ornate ribbon symbols of the hard work they put into training. For James, the English Springer Spaniel who took Best in Show at Westminster in 2007, winning came because his owner, Teresa Patton, emphasized...READ MORE |
Career-Change DogsSo you want to be a guide dog? The job has terrific benefits: a lifetime of great meals, excellent health care, the right to go into malls, movie theaters, and other places dogs are usually not allowed, and gratitude from an adoring human who really needs you. But it's not easy. Before you earn your guide-dog jacket, you'll have to face your worst fears, control your wildest natural...READ MORE |
We all know canine companions change our lives. At the Colorado Boys Ranch YouthConnect program in La Junta, CO, dogs prove it every day. In addition to academic work, adolescent boys with emotional and psychiatric challenges train troubled dogs from local shelters, teaming together in an intensive 10-week program...READ MORE |
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Just Say NoSally and her German Shepherd guide dog stroll along the same wooded path each morning. One night, a thunderstorm knocked down a large tree branch, which was left hanging four feet over the path. Although the dog could easily fit under the fallen branch, he stopped. Sally issued the command, "forward," but the dog refused to take another step. Sally reached out with her hands and touched the tree branch...READ MORE |
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US Military, American Dogs?Dogs in the US armed forces work right along with American soldiers, as both head out together on dangerous assignments throughout the world. Our soldiers come from the United States, so it seems obvious that their canine partners would come from breeders here at home. The fact is, over the past 50 years, the vast majority of American...READ MORE |
In the early 1980s, Joanne Silver got her first Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Sophie, who soon began winning in the show ring. Perhaps it was the same pride all loving dog owners feel, but Silver believed Sophie was especially good at bringing out the best in people...READ MORE |


Westminster Isn't Everything


Dogs Managing Crisis