Survey shows that guide dogs work hard but live longer than pets

[bigdoglover]

Mainichi Daily News

An average longevity of guide dogs in Japan is about 13 years, a little longer than that of pet dogs, two surveys have shown.

Observers say that people with visual handicaps often avoid using guide dogs because they mistakenly believe the hard-working animals suffer from stress and live short lives.

But an official at the National Federation of All Japan Guide Dog Training Institutions has spoken out to dispel the myth. "We want people to know guide dogs are properly kept in good health, and that they don't live short lives."

The guide dog organization surveyed eight training facilities under its umbrella to determine the average life span of 413 guide dogs that died between March 1975 and April this year.

The average longevity of the animals was about 13 years. Seventy of them died at age 15, while 68 died when they were 14 years old. Five lived to the ripe old age of 17.

Experts led by Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology assistant professor Hideki Hayashidani investigated 3,239 pet dogs, which died from August 2002 and July 2003 to learn they lived 11.9 years on average.

Guide dogs usually begin working for visually disabled people at age 2 after receiving training, and most of them retire after 10 years of working.

A member of the guide dog organization said that guide dogs live longer than their pet counterparts apparently because their physical condition is monitored and maintained for their work. Vaccine administration and medicine against filarial endemic have only recently become fully available for pet dogs, he added.

As of the end of March this year, there were a total of 952 guide dogs working in Japan, according to training facility reports. (Mainichi)