- Chris McMillan
They aided the blind, now who will accompany these aging guide dogs?
Shine
20th August 2020
They aided the blind, now who will accompany these aging guide dogs?
by Hu Min
After many years of faithful service, two aging guide dogs are looking for warm-hearted owners who can take care of them in their twilight years.
Fang Yun (female) and Ta Zhang (male) are both 14-year-old Labradors, and both have assisted visually impaired humans for almost a decade. Since their retirement, they've been waiting nearly four years for someone to adopt them.
They were among the first batch of guide dogs which started service in Shanghai back in 2008. Some of these dogs remain with their service persons; others have died. At present, only Fang Yun and Ta Zhang are without homes.
They've been staing at the Shanghai Guide Dog School in Pudong New Area for four years, as their owners could not accommodate them after they retired. Their days at the school are mostly spent resting.
Fang Yun served a visually impaired person for eight years until he started moving slower when climbing stairs and became short of breath when walking. With these health problems, he was taken out of service. Ta Zhang was also retired due to age and poor health.
Most retired guide dogs are either fostered by their service persons, adopted by the families who assist in their training, or return to training centers for adoption, said Zhu Jun, a teacher at the school.