After ten months of fostering with Eric Obstetar, Taïka, the dog in training to become a guide dog, is going to start school!
Since May 2022 we have the pleasure to welcome in our headquarters in Ivry-sur-Seine (94) Taïka a a little dog in training to become a guide dog.
Taïka in her host family:
For one year, Eric Obstetar accompanied the dog daily, with the help of his educator: Manon. Hand in hand they collaborated to improve the understanding and the assimilation of the rules, necessary for the entry in the school of Taïka. A work that is done 50% thanks to the foster family and 50% thanks to the educator.
Throughout her journey, Manon has followed the evolution, successes and failures of the dog while advising and teaching the family who has taken her in how to behave or improve the blocking points thanks to regular reports and meetings with the foster family. Thus, with time, the dog has been able to settle down, develop her attention and her understanding of commands. Her family can be proud of her achievements:
- The recall is almost instantaneous
- She is more relaxed and calm when there are other dogs or strangers on the street
-The dog doesn't (almost) run after bikes, runners...
"Learning is done through repetition of the same gestures, words and rituals so that the dog can understand and memorize the different routes. This will serve the future beneficiary of the animal. The main thing is to show and explain to the dog its mistakes so that it can understand and assimilate more easily the orders and rules (for example, stop when there is an obstacle or a crosswalk)." Eric Obstetar
The future of Taïka: what will happen next?
At the end of January 2023, Taïka will leave Éric's family to enter a training program at the Ile de France guide dog school, for one year! She will learn about fifty commands that will be used by the visually impaired person with whom she will work. At the end of the week, she will go to a weekend family to relax and will even be able to meet Eric from time to time!
If the dog is reclassified, i.e. is not able to guide a visually impaired person, it can become a pet for autistic children, a customs dog, an avalanche dog etc. As a last resort, dogs that are not fit to work are given to private individuals (often relatives of the families who have taken in the dog).
Eric, what do you remember from this experience?
"After almost a year with the dog, I have learned a lot about dogs, their behaviors, their ways of communicating or testing limits. After thinking about it, I will welcome puppies again but this time as a weekend foster!", Eric Obstetar.
Eric confided to us that the dog brought life, an overflowing joy and especially allowed him to create a social link with the people they met together. A positive return of experience and a beautiful adventure which ends within our premises for Taïka.
The association and its school:
The Association of Guide Dogs of Ile de Francebased in Coubert (77), is a school that has been training dogs for nearly 45 years, with the aim of facilitating the life of people affected by a visual handicap.
The work at the guide dog school is done in real conditions, for about a year the dogs learn in depth the rules of the road so as not to endanger the visually impaired person. At the end of this training, they take an exam that validates their knowledge. They will then be given to visually impaired people. They will be followed by the educator and will remain the property of the school.
Source: Association of Guide Dogs for the Blind of Île-de-France
Association wins in 2022:
- 420 hours of locomotion follow-up by the instructor
- 14 dogs given to visually impaired people
- 44 host families on a daily basis and 79 families for stays & weekends
- 18 departments covered
- Nearly 1550 solidarity objects sold (plush toys, comics, key rings, shopping bags...))
- Numerous articles and participations in reports
- A community of nearly 11500 members on social networks
- More than 50 days of events including 10 markets and Christmas markets, 10 schools, 20 companies and 10 service clubs and more than 150 students aware
Public awareness is an important action of the association, in fact the latter does not have access to state aid and is financed by patrons but also through various interventions during the year with companies, schools ...
