Guide dogs play a critical role in helping visually impaired individuals move independently, safely overcome physical barriers encountered in daily life, and participate in social life on equal terms. These special dogs, which detect curbs, stairs, doors, obstacles, and direction changes, guide their users to the correct side, playing a crucial role both in terms of safety and boosting self-confidence.
The Guide Dogs Association is training guide dogs to increase the self-confidence of visually impaired individuals within the community and support their more independent mobility.
Suitable candidates for this role are selected at a young age based on health and character criteria. Breeds that are typically chosen are those with strong social characteristics, high levels of attention, and quick adaptability to environmental stimuli.
Puppies are included in the program at about two months old and initially given to volunteer caretaker families to start basic training. During this period, social skills such as toilet habits, adaptation to home environments, interaction with people, use of public transport, and acclimation to different surfaces and crowded settings are regularly developed.
After the volunteer family phase is completed, the dogs undergo professional training. At this stage, skills such as path following, obstacle detection, stair and door transitions, safe stops and starts, awareness of traffic flow, and keeping the user away from potential risks are systematically taught.
Later, matching the dog's character with the daily life, mobility level, and environmental needs of the person requesting a guide dog is performed to ensure the most suitable pairing.
After matching, both the user and the dog undergo a training process together. Initially, the pair works on basic routes with a trainer, and then the training extends to encompass the visually impaired individual's home, workplace, and daily life routine.
This phase includes using public transport, moving safely in traffic, recognizing and navigating around obstacles, and executing these tasks flawlessly as a team.
After the dogs are handed over, the follow-up process continues uninterrupted. Regular checks are conducted to review the needs of both the dog and the user, and additional training support is provided if necessary.
The program covers the maintenance, food, and veterinary costs of guide dogs, with users responsible for maintaining the welfare of the dogs.
Upon reaching a certain age, retired guide dogs continue their lives with a suitable family.
Nurdeniz Tunçer, president of the Guide Dogs Association who is also visually impaired and has a guide dog, stated that they have been actively working in the field for 9 years and currently, there are 11 guide dogs in Türkiye.
Tunçer shared that their activities officially began with their guide dog Kara's first field deployment, noting, "We can now comfortably enter and exit public transport vehicles, cinemas, theaters, courthouses, and publicly accessible areas. Awareness has significantly increased." She mentioned that some taxi drivers are reluctant to allow guide dogs into their vehicles and expressed a desire for greater sensitivity on this issue.
Tunçer remarked that her dog Kara assists and guides her every moment in her daily life, whether going to work or socializing.
