Ms Lean Kennedy:

In regard to Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, we estimate that it costs €38,000 for us to provide each guide dog and assistance dog partnership. The guide dog or assistance dog owner leases the dog from us at a cost of €1, the purpose of which is to ensure we have an agreement in place because the dog owner has an obligation to us to maintain the dog in terms of grooming, veterinary care and so on.

On average, it takes about two years to train a dog. A puppy begins training at two months old. It is fostered by a volunteer puppy walking family-person, who is under the supervision of a puppy walking supervisor within their area. The volunteers and their puppies also attend classes. The role of the volunteer is to socialise the puppy in the context of its future role as a guide dog or assistance dog. The puppies are taken to public places such as shopping centres and are also taken on public transport so that they learn how to behave in terms of not seeking attention. They are also toilet trained and taught not to be easily distracted.

When the puppies are 12 months old they undergo six months of rigorous training at our centre in Cork. They are initially trained to be guide dogs and then mid-way through the training they are assessed to see whether they meet the criteria to be a guide dog or an assistance dog. The key difference between a guide dog and an assistance dog is that a guide dog needs to use its initiative. There are times when a guide dog will have to over-rule its owner. For instance, if a guide dog owner is at a pedestrian crossing and he or she indicates to the dog to cross the road but a car or cyclist is coming, the dog will need to use its initiative and over-rule the owner and not follow through that command. As an assistance dog is under constant control by a parent, by whom all decisions will be made, it does not need to use its initiative.

When a dog is 18 months old, we review the application list and decide which dog best matches an applicant. We must ensure that the partnership is going to work out. The chosen family then visits the centre, where they undergo residential training. For an assistance dog parent, this involves a week's training, which is then followed up with a number of weeks training in their home area. The instructor visits the family in the home area to ensure that the dog and child are happy to be attached to each other and that they are working safely and confidently together in the home area and familiar with all the routes. That support is ongoing. Similarly, we do the same in relation to a guide dog. Along with the initial comprehensive training which the dogs undergo, we also provide training for the potential owner, namely, the blind or visually impaired person or the parent of a child with autism, in relation to how the dog needs to behave in public places and how to be a mobility and safety aid to their owner. We also provide follow-up after care as well for up to six months to ensure that the partnership is reliable and working well and that the owner and the dog are working well together and are safe in meeting the standards that we have set for them. Overall, the training takes two years.