Saturday, March 28, 2009

Bo! Shev!

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Please click to enlarge the photo


I felt so fortunate to be able to see this van waiting at a red light in Jerusalem.

And as luck would have it, the next day an article about the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind appeared in the Jerusalem Post and I learned more.
The dedicated folks at the IGDC breed the dogs. They raise the puppies--Labradors, golden retrievers, or half-Lab, half-golden mixes--for the first eight weeks.
Then the pups are placed in foster homes for a year of socialization.
For example, some 25 students at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev are enthusiastic foster care givers.
The dogs then return to the Center for training.

It is funded by donations; government ministries pay only 10%.
Of the estimated 23,000 blind people in Israel only a relatively few will receive a free guide dog from the Center. The dogs understand Hebrew commands.
If a blind person goes abroad to get a guide dog, he must be proficient in English because his own training is in English and that is the only language the dogs know.

This photo is from the Israel Guide Dog Center's sweet blog, http://www.mitzvahdog.blogspot.com/.

It really is a mitzvah to enrich the lives of blind people with such canine companions!
For more information, the website of the IGDC is here.
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P.S. To see a jackal with a pretty face please see my mid-week post.
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Other animals from other bloggers will be appearing at the weekend Camera-Critters meme.

24 comments:

  1. I am in awe of all the work they do really it is an enormous feat Sandy

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  2. Great puppy pics! I always enjoyed working with guide dogs; they are so calm and gentle!

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  3. Sounds like a great organization.

    How did someone get all those puppies to sit for a picture? It is really cute.

    Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog.

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  4. Sounds like the organization does wonderful work. Love the photo of the puppies.

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  5. whta a beautiful shot of the dogs! and what good work they are doing

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  6. What a fantastic post! The photo is adorable (that's my idea of Heaven) and this organization is GREAT!

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  7. they are miraculous dogs
    that photo is adorable

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  8. Love the puppy pic. That organization is doing a wonderful service!

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  9. they are so cute. Visit my Canadian geese here and thanks.

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  10. Such a cute photo. :-)

    I have nothing but praise for the work that the Guide Dog centers, around the world, do.

    A relative of mine had need for one of their dogs. What a difference it made in her life.

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  11. So cute! Also in Belgium such organisation excists. I have had several contacts with them and we visised their 'education'-center.

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  12. Our local Starbucks often has sign up pages posted for people willing to foster a puppy for a year before it goes into guide dog training.

    I think it's a GREAT program.

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  13. I think this is such worthwhile endeavor.
    Interesting that University students are care givers. Do they keep the pups in student quarters (dorms)?
    I love that photo of the pups on the bench - makes you want to take one. :)

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  14. You mean these dogs are free ? That's a fantastic organisation. I imagine it takes a lot of time, people, expenses to breed so perfectly these dogs ! That's an interesting charitable devotion.

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  15. This organization sounds fantastic!! A wonderful service that deserves two thumbs up in my book!

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  16. Awww that's soooo sweeet! I love that photo of the puppies too! So glad there's help there for the blind!

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  17. Thanks for this informative post, Dina. I think the Organization which helps blind people, as many other philantropic organizations, really does a very useful and precious work for the country.

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  18. I have a nephew who is blind so this hits very close to home. That is wonderful work they are doing!

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  19. lovely post
    i didnt realise how important it was for dogs and people to understand the same language
    now i'm interested to find out whether there are bilingual animals...

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  20. Adorable! They do wonderful work, but I wish more blind people could have their own guide dog.

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