It is only right to say that dogs are humans’ best friends. As commonly said, ‘if you feed a dog for three days, it will serve you for a lifetime.’ In most cases than not, dogs have proved to be the best companions and helpers for humankind, never leaving even in the worst-case scenarios. Actually, a human could easily abandon their dog, but a dog would even lie on top of its human owner’s grave if death were to strike. Over time, it has become increasingly realistic that investing in dogs is a worthy venture, and even more so for guide dogs.
Guide dogs were traditionally trained to be guides for their human owners, regardless of their situation. Over time, they became the best bet if physically challenged people needed help or guide. We have seen cases where dogs are trained to do right about everything for their owners; from guiding visually impaired people, to fetching things as required and even being sent to deliver a message.
In the near future, it is projected that guide dogs will replace human guides totally. This is because, with adequate training, guide dogs turn out to be so thorough in their work, in most cases exceeding expectations. Have we not heard, too, of dogs who are trained to perform first aid on emergency cases?
It is for this reason that Titus Herman has hit the waves of social media platforms across the globe. He is a renowned dog trainer who specializes in guide dogs for people who have vision problems. Most people remember how he got to the social media platform through his short animated film of Pip the pup.
Introducing Pip the Pup
Pip is a young pup that is eager to begin attending school to guide dogs even at a very young age. She is barely big enough for school, but stretches high enough and passes to go in. Inside, her desk is even too high for her, and she has to sit on her books to reach all the way up. Well, she cannot even reach high enough to press the food dispenser! She makes several mistakes but quickly learns from them. When her principal cannot take in his final fail, he banishes Pip from school.
This is her saddest moment, and she sheds a tear, lost on what to do next. It is while she is stranded outside the school in pity that she realizes a blind lady is having trouble maneuvering through a dangerous construction site. She quickly hurries to her and is able to guide her through to safety. Seeing such a heroic act, the school administration calls her back, and she is awarded by being dressed in the superhero cap alongside her certificate.
The biggest lesson here is that Pip did not lose hope and despair because she had been thrown out of campus. She still had the heart to help out the lady even with a tear in her eyes, choosing to do the positive, helpful thing instead of allowing her sadness to eat away into her heart.
Her warmth and positive energy are quite inspiring, and it is no wonder her short animated film has garnered as many views so far.
The Southeastern Guide Dogs
Titus Herman derived his motivation from the animation case of Pip, the pup. He aimed at showing us the dedication with which guide dogs work even when we throw them out; their beautiful and helpful hearts do not die.
As such, he took to training many dogs, using the film as his marketing strategy. He is currently training dogs of all types to help out with people who are visually impaired. His dogs include golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, a crossbreed of the two called goldadors, and several other southeastern dog breeds.
According to Titus, his biggest motivation is the fact that dogs represent eternal optimism and joy, especially to their human friends who have any forms of disability, especially visual challenges. Today, Titus runs a Southeastern campus where he is training at least one thousand dogs to take these roles.
He goes on to state that Pip is a real dog, as featured in the short film. She is still young as portrayed in the film, and just as eager to learn and help the visually impaired people in life. She goes to puppy kindergarten and Titus, in conjunction with Bane, Pip’s raiser are keen on ensuring she learns until she enters the Guide Dog University. She was born on the campus, and currently, she is the youngest pup in the school. The characters Pip portrays on the film are actually even in her real-life; eager to learn on the basics of guide dogs along with the other older pups
The Southeastern guide dogs’ venture is purely funded by donation helps and activity, and it runs a real dog school with dedicated trainers who aim at bringing out the best in these lovely guide dogs. This is a noble venture that should be given the full support of the people around the world. Of course, the official donors of the entire venture; Gary and Melody Johnson are the noblest people in the world where we understand the fantastic usefulness of dogs. Any other donors and sponsors of ventures like those of the Southeastern Guide dogs are highly appreciated.
While at it, it would really be helpful to factor in the possibilities of having more and more campuses for guide dogs and in general, service dogs. The amazing help we get from these selfless animals can never be compared to anything else. We know how much they can put their lives on the line just to make sure we are safe from any harm. It is so unfair that after giving us such a service, we can still give them out or abandon them at all. It definitely would be a big venture to have more people like Titus, venturing into the production of trained fury guides.