Like blind people all over the world, the blind in Israel lack the independence and mobility that most people take for granted. The Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind goes a long way towards changing that situation.
by Simon Griver
Since its establishment in 1991, the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind has provided more than 80 blind people with guide dogs, free of charge. Unique in the region, the Center was founded by Noach and Orna Braun and is fully recognized by the International Federation of Guide Dog Schools.
Located near Moshav Beit Oved, just 20 minutes southeast of Tel Aviv, the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind has adapted guide dog training to suit conditions in Israel. The dogs learn to respond to Hebrew commands and are specifically trained to negotiate the awkward, dense, urban environment where parked cars and a plethora of other obstacles like bus stops, streetlights and power pylons are a fact of life.
Prior to the opening of the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind, Israelis who needed guide dogs had to travel to the US or Europe but this was only a partial solution. "Only Israelis with good health and fluent English, and able to leave their families for more than a month, could take advantage of this opportunity," Noach Braun, Director of the Center explained. "Even the lucky ones who participated in an overseas program found that if a problem arose once back in Israel, there was nobody to provide the ongoing care and advice vital to a successful partnership [between guide dog and blind user]."
The Brauns were encouraged and supported in their endeavor to start the school by Norman Leventhal, who Braun said was "blessed with vision". Leventhal, now President of the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind, arranged for the Brauns to travel to the USA and England for training. Noach specialized in guide dog mobility instruction, while Orna trained in the fields of breeding and kennel and puppy raising management. Later, two additional trainers were sent to study in England. The staff of guide dog instructors at the Center can currently develop some 20 partnerships annually. Each guide dog is trained at a cost of $10,000 which is paid for entirely by donations to this non-profit organization.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers as well as German Shepherds, all known for their loving and stable natures, are breeds that the Center trains as guide dogs. The professional staff is also assisted by some 40 puppy raisers. These caring families or individuals volunteer to raise the pups in their homes during one year. Under the Brauns supervision, the puppy raisers prepare the dogs for the next stage of guide dog training, acclimatizing them to every-day life. They are taken everywhere -- to supermarkets, to restaurants, on buses -- and are acquainted with typical household noises produced, for example, by various electrical appliances. At one year, the pups are returned to the Center to undergo five months of training, after which they are ready to be partnered with a blind Israeli.
"A guide dog provides opportunities for personal and professional growth that can be obtained in no other way," Mr. Braun stressed. "In short, a guide dog provides enhanced dignity, safe mobility and independence."
Itzik Ben-David, a graduate of the Center, says his life has been transformed by his guide dog, John. As a father of four and owner of a small business, Ben-David was heavily reliant on his family after a hereditary eye disorder caused him to go blind. However, after adapting to mobility with his guide dog, he marveled: "Getting John was like being given a new pair of eyes without the fear of transplant rejection."
The Center also provides post-class care, which helps the blind person to acquaint his new dog with his home and workplace after completing the instruction course. Aftercare, which involves regular checkups throughout the dogs eight to ten-year working life, ensures that the partnership is working effectively. When needed, corrective instruction is available.
The work of the Center may even have an impact on the whole region. "Ours is the only guide dog center in the Middle East," Braun said. Recently, a member of the Jordanian royal family, who is responsible for handicapped citizens, visited the center. "We hope to cooperate with Jordan in the future."