On March 1, the Taiwan Huikuang Guide Dog School welcomed new life as Donut, a dog from the Hong Kong Guide Dogs Association, successfully gave birth to ten puppies—six males and four females. The father of the puppies is Rudy, a locally bred dog from the Huikuang Guide Dog School. This litter sets a record for the largest number of puppies born in a single litter since the school's establishment.
According to Tseng Han-lin, the principal of the Huikuang Guide Dog School, guide dog puppies must enter foster families two months after birth. During their stay, they participate in group training sessions twice a month, along with weekly home visits. The foster families lead the puppies through a year-long socialization training program to develop good living habits and help them adapt to human social environments, preparing them for their future role in guiding visually impaired individuals.
Peng Hsiao-han, the secretary-general of the Huikuang Guide Dog School, noted that due to the stable breeding program, the demand for foster families has increased. However, recruiting foster families has become challenging in recent years. The main reason is the requirement for an adult to be available 24 hours a day to accompany the puppy. This is a common practice in guide dog training worldwide, as it is essential for socialization and home habit training. If this method is not implemented, it would be difficult to complete the necessary training. Foster families play a crucial role in the life of guide dogs, providing a loving environment for them to grow healthily and confidently.
Peng Hsiao-han emphasized that guide dogs differ from pets, as their training involves the "three-second rule", which requires immediate correction of behavior. Before handing over the puppies to foster families, they are taught how to train the dogs. The foster families care for puppies aged two to four months, with the fostering period lasting until the puppy is about one year old. The basic requirements for foster families include residing in specific regions, having at least one adult available full-time to care for the puppy, and ensuring that there is no more than one child under six years old in the household.
Taiwan has approximately 55,000 visually impaired individuals, with only 27 guide dogs currently in service. Guide dogs serve as a beacon of hope for the visually impaired, offering three key functions that cannot be replicated by white canes: safely navigating obstacles, finding target objects on command, and serving as warm companions.
