Guide Dog Training

Written by Riviera Reporter

Titus’ Tale

Do drop-outs always end badly? By no means. Look at Bill Gates. Or Titus. Titus? Yes. Maybe you remember we’ve twice featured Simone Paissoni, and her participation in the scheme for giving basic training to future guide-dogs. This involves taking a Lab puppy into your home and turning him or her into a civilised dog who can then be taught the duties of a chien-guide. With her first guest, Priam, this worked out very well.

As Simone admitted, though, it’s hard to give up a dog who’s been with you for a year. The only consolation is that the separation is in a good cause. Bravely, after Priam Simone took on a second candidate, Titus. “He was adorable,” she says, “and it was awful the day I had to hand him back.” But a few months later her telephone rang. Bad news for someone, good news for her. Titus, it seemed, was a very bad student. He was no use as a guide-dog, too stupid. “So we got him back. But, you know, it’s funny — he doesn’t seem at all stupid to us. He’s settled down very well to his life of leisure (see picture) and I wonder if maybe the whole thing was a piece of clever bluff on his part. After all, if I were a dog I’d prefer the life he has here to trudging the streets in all weathers. Whatever the truth about Titus, I’m told very few dogs fail as he did.”

To find out more about the guide-dog training scheme write to Ecole de chiens guide pour aveugles 649, chemin du Plan, Biot, 06410.

From Reporter 105 - Oct/Nov 2004

Set as favourite

Bookmark

Comments (0)