Disability History Fact: Some Famous Guide Dogs

Millions of people in the United Kingdom were introduced to the idea of guide dogs in 1965, when a guide dog named “Honey” became the subject of a popular BBC children’s television show. Viewers followed Honey through her training and collected donations of aluminum foil to fundraise for the dog’s education.

American horror and suspense novelist Dean Koontz owns a retired guide dog named “Trixie Koontz.” The bestselling author even published one of his books, Life is Good: Lessons in Joyful Living, using Trixie Koontz as a pseudonym in 2004.

Two heroic dogs worked with their handlers to reach safety after hijacked airplanes struck the World Trade Center on September 11, despite working in the noisiest, most dangerous and chaotic conditions imaginable. Omar Rivera and his yellow Labrador retriever Salty climbed down 70 stories just before Tower One collapsed. Rivera even tried to release Salty so the dog could have a better chance at survival, but found the dog would not leave his side. Another dog, Roselle, and her handler, Michael Hingston, walked down 78 stories together in the same building.

Endal, a service dog in England, is considered by some to be “the most decorated dog in the world” (including “Dog of the Millennium” and the Gold Medal for Animal Gallantry and Devotion to Duty from the PDSA, the UK’s leading veterinary charity), and is also the first dog to ride on the London Eye (a giant Ferris wheel in London), the first dog known to work a ‘chip and pin’ ATM card, and the first dog to place a human being in the recovery position without training following a blackout. More than three hundred camera crews from several countries have filmed Endal. Endal passed away in 2009.

One part service dog, one part best friend, Ruger the yellow Lab not only helped his owner Kevin Coughlin navigate the streets of Manhattan, but he became an unofficial mascot for guide-dog rights. Ruger carved out his place in history when he served as Exhibit A in a series of court cases in which Kevin fought (and won) discrimination suits against businesses that refused to allow his service dog through their doors. Terms like “trailblazer” and “pioneer” are rarely bestowed upon members of the canine family, but in Ruger’s case, they seem quite fitting. After winning high-profile case after high-profile case, Ruger became a darling of the news media and was recognized by strangers who would reportedly stop and introduce themselves on the street.

Attributions:

CNIB website: http://www.cnib.ca/en/living/safe-travel/Pages/history-dogs-0807.aspx

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Labrador_Retrievers

Pawnation – http://www.pawnation.com/2010/05/21/famous-nyc-guide-dog-and-champion-for-guide-dog-rights-dies-at/