Twenty guide dog users are to lose their animals because the ageing canines are headed for retirement.
And the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind expects this number to rise dramatically by the end of 2007 as a further 70 dogs near retirement. The loss of olderanimals is a problem because of a shortage of trained dogs to replace them.
The foundation is highlighting the shortage on the eve of its annual appeal.
Guide dog mobility instructor Angie Coupar says that the service is hoping to raise $1 million from next weekend's Red Puppy Appeal, to increase the breeding stock.
The breeding stock used by the Guide Dog Service is about 30 dogs and bitches, producing 100 to 120 pups a year. Between 260 and 280 New Zealanders use guide dogs.
It costs about $22,500 to breed, raise, fully train and match a dog with its owner. Those that don't make the grade after training, about 30 per cent, are offered to other services such as Customs, police or Search and Rescue, or go back to the puppy walker, the dog's earliest trainer.
"It's not just new people, there are replacement dogs to be found, and personal preference comes into it too," Angie Coupar said.
There are five main breeds of dog used for guiding - labrador, german shepherd, golden retriever, lab/retriever cross, and standard poodle. "Not everyone wants a poodle, particularly men," says Angie. "But once they've had one, they would never have anything else."
Chris Orr, who lost his sight in a shooting accident on his 21st birthday is on his third dog, a chocolate labrador called Quinnell.
Quinnell is 11, and not quite as spry as he was, but finding a match for Chris is not easy.
He travels a lot and attends many meetings in his twin roles as community education and awareness manager for the RNZFB and a representative for disabled people on the ARC transport committee.
Now 53, Chris says that having had guide dogs for 20 years it is going to be extremely difficult getting around without one.
