Auch für Blindenführhunde wird Feuerwerk immer problematischer. Jedes Jahr werden Blindenführhunde und andere Arbeitshunde durch den unverantwortlichen Gebrauch von Feuerwerk traumatisiert. In der Folge können sie ihre Führarbeit nicht mehr zuverlässig ausüben und müssen "ausgemustert" werden. Andere müssen mit Beruhigungsmitteln behandelt und/oder wieder speziell trainiert werden. In der Zwischenzeit bleiben ihre Besitzer für Wochen/Monate ohne Mobilität zurück.
In England muss die Vereinigung "Guide Dogs for the Blind" jedes Jahr vier Blindenführhunde "ausmustern" (Grund: Stress, verursacht durch Feuerwerk). 150 Hunde benötigen zusätzliches Training, damit ihre Probleme, hervorgerufen durch das laute Krachen von Feuerwerkskörpern, beseitigt werden können.
Die Ausbildung eines Blindenführhundes kostet in England £30,000. In der Schweiz kostet ein Blindenführhund: Anschaffungskosten, Welpenpreis und Junghundtraining bzw. anfallende Kosten bis zum Anfang der Ausbildung Fr. 12'950.- plus Fr. 25'500.- für die Ausbildung zum Führhund. Die durchschnittliche Ausbildungszeit eines Hundes beträgt 6-8 Monate!
In der Schweiz gibt es,
laut Auskunft des Schweiz. Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverbandes vom 5.10.2004,
etwas über 300 Führhundegespanne.
Wenn ein Blindenhund schwarz fährt...
Schweiz. Ein Chauffeur der Verkehrsbetriebe St. Gallen meldete, dass in seinem Bus seit längerer Zeit ein herrenloser Hund mitfahre. Die Polizei holte das Tier ab. Es stellte sich heraus, dass es sich um einen Blindenführhund handelte, der laut seiner Besitzerin wegen Feuerwerksknallern erschrocken und weggerannt sei. 30.7.2004
http://www.toponline.ch/content.php?area=1&nocache=1&rub=37&medium=0&art=45238
Fireworks
kept me indoors, 6.8.2004
Eindrücklicher Artikel (in Englisch) über die Probleme, die auf blinde Menschen zukommen, wenn ihre Führhunde die Feuerwerkerei nicht mehr aushalten.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3542720.stm
Blind join campaign to control fireworks, News Shopper, 4.3.2003.
Two partially-sighted men are backing a new Bill to curb the misuse
of fireworks after their guide dogs were spooked by loud bangers.
The 44-year-old, of Homemead, said: "I was visiting my mum in Northfleet and I was crossing a
road when someone let off fireworks which exploded over head. My dog actually stopped in the middle of the road because of the
noise. I was just fortunate there was no traffic coming. It is very stressful for the dog and very stressful for
me.
Fireworks should be restricted. Some people with guide dogs are left like prisoners in their own homes during this time."
Mr Busbridge, 52, of Ifield Way told News Shopper how his guide dog Gibson was left reliant on
tranquillisers after loud fireworks went off near him in 1994: "Someone threw fireworks very close by me and the dog to scare
us. From that
day on, the dog had to go through extra training and he was always very
nervous."
Stress caused by fireworks can cause a dog to be retired early and some people are left
stranded without a four-legged guide for as long as 18 months.
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/dartfordandswanley/display.var.703091.index.blind_join_campaign_to_control_fireworks.html
Jenny's fireworks plea taken to top, Nottingham Evening Post, 27.2.2003
Miss Hollingworth's guide dog Neisha had to retire after a firework was set off near her in 2001. Neisha became withdrawn and would tremble and hyperventilate after hearing loud noises.
Geraldine Peacock, chief executive of Guide Dogs for the Blind, said: "Not only guide dog owners and their guide dogs, but many others, including pet owners, elderly people and parents with young children, suffer from the misuse of fireworks." Her colleague Matt Grainger said fireworks cost the association up to £200,000 a year, as several guide dogs like Neisha are retired early. http://www.nottinghameveningpost.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=66030&command=displayContent&sourceNode=65582&contentPK=4397404
March for guide dog victims, ManchesterOnline, 26.2.2003
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has to
sedate, retrain or retire a number of guide dogs each year because of the trauma they suffer from
the irresponsible use of fireworks. Each dog costs £35,000 to train.
A spokesman said: "It is impossible to tell when fireworks are going to be used nowadays, as they
are being set off on all sorts of occasions, far more often than just the few days before Bonfire Night.
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/stories/Detail_LinkStory=52615.html
Guide
dogs lead firework protest
Owners
of guide dogs from across the East Midlands are backing a campaign to tighten
laws on fireworks. The petition, organised by the Guide Dogs for the Blind
Association, already has 75,000 signatures. Despite their extensive trainig,
costing about £35,000 for each animal, guide dogs can still be hugely affected
by sudden, loud noises. The association says every year guide dogs are sedated,
retrained and in some cases even retired after being traumatised by the
irresponsible use of fireworks. 26.2.2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2800405.stm
Every
year, guide dogs and other working dogs are forced to retire after being traumatised by the irresponsible use of
fireworks. Others have to be sedated, and some even retrained, leaving their owners without mobility for weeks at a time. Guide Dogs receives regular reports on the damage and disruption caused to guide dog
partnerships. Over recent years, as fireworks have become more
widespread, the problem has escalated.
A real life example: Guide dog owner Derek Thorpe, 50, knows only too well the terrible effects of firework
abuse. His guide dog Warwick had to be retired, after a gang of youths aimed a firework directly at the dog's face, both terrifying and injuring
him. In the months after the attack, Warwick's fear of any bang or sudden noise increased so
dramatically, that Derek was unable to take him anywhere. Even a train door slamming was enough to terrify the dog to the extent that travelling became
impossible. Warwick had to be retired prematurely.
All About Dogs: http://www.thedoghows.com/factory/fireworks.html
Firework crackdown on way, BBC News, 14.2.2003
Every year, Guide Dogs for the Blind have to retire four animals because of stress caused by fireworks. Another 150 dogs need further training to deal with problems related to loud bangs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2756741.stm
Jedes Jahr muss die Vereinigung "Guide Dogs for the Blind" vier Blindenhunde "ausmustern" (Grund: Stress, verursacht durch Feuerwerk). 150 Hunde benötigen zusätzliches Training, damit ihre Probleme, hervorgerufen durch das laute Krachen von Feuerwerkskörpern, beseitigt werden können.
Woman's second firework tragedy,
Manchester Online, 23.12.2002.
Her current guide dog, Hannah, is to be retired prematurely because noisy fireworks have made her a nervous
wreck. This year's barrage of extra-loud fireworks has made Hannah too traumatised to continue
working. Even a prescription of the tranquilliser diazepam failed to calm her
nerves. "This year, in the build-up to Bonfire Night, Hannah just wouldn't go out of the house. She could not
work. She just wanted to lie in the corner. She went out for a proper walk last weekend for the first time since Bonfire Night.
"She's not the dog she was, and fireworks are to blame for
that.''
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/stories/Detail_LinkStory=47772.html
Think
of dogs when letting off fireworks
Many
guide dogs are so terrified of the loud noise, they have to be sedated during
the festive period. Some are unable to work for days at a time. Worse, some are
even forced into early retirement and never recover from the trauma of misused
fireworks that explode at close range.
Currently
nearly 5,000 guide dog owners enjoy the freedom and independence they provide
but for many, the use of fireworks throughout the year has become a real problem.
20.12.2001
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/search/display.var.32594.0.think_of_dogs_when_letting_off_fireworks.php