You know what? There are 60,000 persons with vision disabilities in Taiwan. Based on the international average of one guide dog per 10 such persons, there ought to be 600 of these dogs in Taiwan, but in fact right now there are only 28 on the job.
The only two organizations in Taiwan that promote use of guide dogs-the Taiwan Guide Dog Association and the Huikuang Guide Dog Centre-have always relied on importing fully trained dogs from abroad. But there are not enough dogs, and the costs are quite high (more than NT$1 million per animal). What's more, Taiwan's streets have more than their share of pitfalls and problems, so that many of the dogs that do come here have trouble adapting. Therefore, some people are now working hard to get breeding and training of guide dogs rooted right here in Taiwan.
The training of a guide dog involves three closely interconnected stages: staying with a foster family, specialized training from an expert, and side-by-side training with their eventual master. Guide dog services in Taiwan are just getting started, and everyone's help and understanding will be needed to make the guide dog system really work, allowing visually impaired persons to enjoy a genuinely "obstacle-free" lifestyle.