Guide dog life

A Dog’s Road Not Taken or, If Cooper Wasn’t a Guide Dog

Cooper: There are so many services that dogs do for humans, sometimes I think of the possibilities if I was not a guide dog

Cooper: I’ve been a guide dog since 2018, and my lady Patricia (Pat for short) and I have seen a lot of working dogs on our travels. At times I wonder what I’d be doing if I was not accompanying Pat, seeing* to her safety when we’re outside of home.

Here are a few examples of jobs that dogs do:

Farm Dogs and Herding Dogs

Take farm dog Milo, who supposedly works at the stables where he spends his time rounding up horses and keeping wild animals from spooking them. Yet, I have never once seen a wild animal – anywhere – at all, around the horses.

You might assume that meant Milo’s doing a good job; I’m not so sure, he’s too laid back if you ask me. But nobody asked me.

Anyway, Milo is a Bernese Mountain Dog, which is precisely what my father’s father was. That explains my handsome 90 lbs. worth of solid muscle, and buns of steel.

I don’t believe I’m cut out to be a farm dog, I’d just play with everyone on two to four legs.

Airport TSA drug detection dogs

Then there are drug-detecting dogs at the airport, who sniff peoples’ pockets and suitcases at customs and baggage claim.

It’s not only drugs they’re trained to detect, but also bombs, plants, and other bio, and illegal material.

When the dog notices something suspicious he’ll sit next to the person or the bag, and the dog’s handler checks it out. If the dog is right he’ll get treats or toys.

Honestly, I’d be right EVERY time. You know me, my sniffer is that of a pro.

More in this story on dogs’ sense of smell:

Customs drug detection dogs

I can’t forget about the dogs who sniff parcels at the mail sorting depot.

It’s not only drugs they detect but, like at the airport, they’re alert for bombs, plants, and other biomaterial.

When I stop to think about it, those dogs are lightweights, 50 lbs. tops.

I’m 90 lbs. without my collar. I’d collapse the conveyor belt if I jumped up there. Either way, my big self would look hilarious maneuvering around and inspecting every parcel on it.

Police dogs

Possibly a Police dog? But when I think about the interview, I’d probably get stuck on the questions about chasing bad guys. That, and I’ve got zero experience pulling them out of trees, never mind pinning them to the ground.

I am, however, great with focus, actually, I’m excellent at it. Alright, maybe I’m more motivated when someone (and I’m not mentioning names) offers me a piece of bacon, her secret weapon in the battle with dog distractions.

I always choose the bacon, I’m a lab – of course I do! So really, there’s no battle.

More services dogs provide for people

There are so many more jobs for dogs I haven’t even mentioned, like:

• hearing dogs
• mobility assistance dogs
• seizure alert dogs
• diabetes alert dogs
• facility dogs
• search and rescue dogs
• autism dogs
• PTSD dogs

… and more.

When I consider other possible roads I might have been set upon, and heaven knows I’ve had time to think about it. Like when Pat’s at her desk and I’m chilling nearby contemplating life, I’m one hundred percent sure that guide dog life suits me perfectly.

Most other jobs seem too chaotic or too laid back, sorry Milo, love you just the same.

I keep Pat on the straight and narrow and she gives me a nice life; she and Mr. Dale couldn’t love me more if they tried!

I get a comfy dog bed, ‘three squares’, and a snack, as well as treats for doing things I’d do anyway, but no one needs to know that. Heck, I’m not arguing, I’m a Lab after all!

What more could a handsome, clever boy like me want anyway right?

*Guide dogs are sometimes referred to as seeing-eye dogs, but although Cooper is trained to be a guide dog for the blind, he isn’t from The Seeing Eye, which is the name of the first school in North America to train guide dogs.