Guide dog a welcome sight

LASHAWN Chan is no ordinary dog. This professionally-trained Labrador is the first-ever guide dog permitted in the country.
He comes from a bloodline of professional service dogs from Nanjing, China.
Lashawn, like many others of his breed, was trained at the Nanjing Police Academy to take on the life-long professional role of a service (guide) dog and the responsibilities that come with it.
Training for a guide dog begins when the dog reaches two years of age. It is trained for more than a year before the dog is deemed to be at the perfect age to be paired with its new master and start the bonding process between them.
Lashawn was formally introduced to an admiring public in Petaling Jaya at a recent press conference organised by Dialogue in the Dark (DID) as part of the association’s on-going efforts to promote its Dogs For Sight Campaign.
Social enterprise DID (www.did.my) is committed to bridging the gap between the visually-impaired and mainstream society to facilitate social inclusion on a global basis as well as raise awareness and create acceptance, thereby overcoming barriers between the visually-impaired and the general public.
Also present at the event was former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, a keen advocate of the campaign.
Lashawn was hand-picked to be the partner and companion of Stevens Chan Kum Fai, the CEO and founder of DID as well as Save Ones Sight Mission Bhd (SOS Mission) and Malaysia Glaucoma Society.
Chan was diagnosed with glaucoma, an eye disease that causes blindness, in 2002. Glaucoma to date has no cure.
However, there is hope of slowing down the process of losing total sight. But despite undergoing nine eye surgeries, Chan became totally blind in 2007.
Now, with Lashawn by his side, the two are working together on advocating the Dogs For Sight Campaign.
SOS Mission, the event arm of Malaysia Glaucoma Society, first launched the Dog for Sight Campaign in 2012 to educate the public on the need to give the visually-impaired in Malaysia a chance to regain their lives, dignity and mobility.
SOS Mission works towards getting approvals to allow guide dogs to work in Malaysia.
Currently, there are more than 30,000 blind Malaysians officially registered and many more in smaller towns and children who are not registered.
SOS Mission notes that it is important to give the blind a chance to have a job and live independently.
Chan said: “There are babies being born with glaucoma and children at a very tender age have also developed glaucoma.
“They will need the assistance of the guide dogs to live a better life than just being a telephone operator or masseur/masseuse at blind massage centres and be able to take on other various jobs in the market.”
Currently, there are four children born with glaucoma under the care of the society and the SOS Mission.
Profits generated from DID and any funds collected go towards the funding of the children’s medical care as well as the establishment of a guide dog training academy and facility here in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the Dog for Sight Campaign (dogsforsight.saveonesight.org/) hopes to garner 100,000 signatures with a minimum RM10 donation to create awareness and also raise funds to help in the setting up of this guide dog training academy and facility.