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Greff : The Story of a Guide Dog
Traces the life of a Labrador retriever from birth through training at the Guide Dog Foundation, where he is introduced to the blind owner for whom he will be responsible.
- GenresAnimals
53 pages, Hardcover
Published April 30, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 8, 2024
This book follows one puppy, Greff, as he makes his way through the Guide Dog Foundation training program. The school, still active and located in Smithtown, NY, generously provided the author access to information, staff, and facilities during the writing process. This results in a clear and enjoyable glimpse into the journey from puppy to guide dog.
The book was written more than forty years ago, so some of the details about training methods may have changed. The list of guide dog training programs at the back of the book is also outdated. However, this is a valuable addition to guide dog literature for young readers that avoides the melodrama and sentimentality that can too often plague the genre. The positive portrayal of blind people is also welcome.
The book was written more than forty years ago, so some of the details about training methods may have changed. The list of guide dog training programs at the back of the book is also outdated. However, this is a valuable addition to guide dog literature for young readers that avoides the melodrama and sentimentality that can too often plague the genre. The positive portrayal of blind people is also welcome.
August 22, 2011
Greff is a yellow Labrador retriever who is being trained to become a service animal for a blind person. The story follows him from birth, through training, to his final presentation to the man he is going to live with and guide. While some of the photographs are dated, I can’t imagine much has changed in the world of training guide dogs; this is still a suitable choice for a dog-loving child or a student writing a report.
In this story, Greff and his fellow guide dogs are produced by breeders; some rescue groups exist to recruit guide dogs from shelters, but this is not discussed in the text. He is bred by one family but raised by another, who are careful to teach him the basics and properly socialize him. When Greff is old enough, however, he dropped off at the guide dog center by the family that raised him.
His eyes took on a sad look, his head and tail drooped. He felt abandoned by his family.
While at the guide dog center, he is intensively trained by yet another person. He no doubt bonds with another trainer at the facility before being given away yet again to a blind person.
Guide dogs are working animals, and when age makes it difficult for them to lead their people, they are cycled out of the program and the blind individual must take on a new, younger dog. The text reads:
Some of them had had dogs before who had become too old to be guide dogs and been given away as pets. … One young woman, a grade school teacher, was getting her first dog, whereas an older man was there to receive his seventh.
All of this struck me as very sad. Especially dogs, who bond so closely with humans, one has to wonder how these dogs must feel to continually lose their friends and partners. I hope that this situation has improved since this book was written.
Greff : The Story of a Guide Dog
by Patricia Curtis, Mary Bloom (Photographer)
In this story, Greff and his fellow guide dogs are produced by breeders; some rescue groups exist to recruit guide dogs from shelters, but this is not discussed in the text. He is bred by one family but raised by another, who are careful to teach him the basics and properly socialize him. When Greff is old enough, however, he dropped off at the guide dog center by the family that raised him.
His eyes took on a sad look, his head and tail drooped. He felt abandoned by his family.
While at the guide dog center, he is intensively trained by yet another person. He no doubt bonds with another trainer at the facility before being given away yet again to a blind person.
Guide dogs are working animals, and when age makes it difficult for them to lead their people, they are cycled out of the program and the blind individual must take on a new, younger dog. The text reads:
Some of them had had dogs before who had become too old to be guide dogs and been given away as pets. … One young woman, a grade school teacher, was getting her first dog, whereas an older man was there to receive his seventh.
All of this struck me as very sad. Especially dogs, who bond so closely with humans, one has to wonder how these dogs must feel to continually lose their friends and partners. I hope that this situation has improved since this book was written.
Greff : The Story of a Guide Dog
by Patricia Curtis, Mary Bloom (Photographer)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews