Keeping pace
Dian devotes her life to her mistress, with the human and the canine developing a "state of love and trust." Shujun says that she and Dian "share one pair of eyes," so they must cooperate closely. Before setting out, Chen always draws a "mental map." When walking she has to pay close attention to traffic sounds (when the sounds of cars and those of walking feet are moving in the same direction, then the light must be green), and they have to be careful of signs along the side of the road. Chen can also pick up smells when passing in front of a hair salon or bakery, thus collecting clues as to how far she has walked, while Dian helps her avoid obstacles. If she gets lost, she leads the dog to a place with a lot of people around and asks directions.
At first when Chen was being led by Dian, she didn't really dare to walk boldly, fearing that she would fall or run into something. But as her confidence gradually increased, she discovered that she could walk at just about as fast a pace as people with normal eyesight. She realized why blind persons overseas became more courageous about going out and living full lives-whether in terms of psychological self-confidence or simply the convenience of ordinary daily routine-once they got guide dogs.
Dian's presence not only gives Shujun a feeling of safety and security, the dog is also very observant. For example when passing in front of a shop where they have bought things before, the dog might turn in of its own accord, reminding Shujun to think about whether or not there is anything she needs to buy-it's like having a personal assistant!
Despite all this, there is a downside: Shujun is often saddened by the erroneous understanding that many people in Taiwan have about guide dogs. In particular, a lot of owners of small shops needlessly worry. Once Chen took Dian to a bakery to buy some cake, and the owner, concerned that Dian's hair would get into the goods, wouldn't let Shujun in no matter how much she explained. Shujun had no choice but to make her purchase from outside the door.
On another occasion she went to a five-star hotel to give a presentation to a certain organization, and one of the members accidentally knocked over his own coffee and stained the carpet, but the hotel staff were all smiles as they cleaned up. Shujun thought to herself, "If it was Dian and even one drop of saliva hit the carpet, we'd probably be thrown out!"
Come on, spit it out!
Shujun laughingly says that Dian picks up well on people's vibes, can read facial expressions well, and knows how to "play innocent" to get sympathy.
Once when Chen took Dian out to relieve herself, after returning home Dian just sat quietly on the sofa, without playing with her toys or lying down to rest-she just sat there silently with her head down. Shujun thought she must have been sad about something, and gave her a dog-treat, not expecting that as soon as the dog opened her mouth she would spit out a bone, which had obviously been fed to her on the sly by someone when Chen was out walking her. Worried that her owner would discover, Dian held the bone in her mouth, lacking the bravado to take it out and chew on it, and in the end could only abashedly "confess." From this you can see how much of a challenge the command to "not eat even when food is right in front of your face" can be to a dog's willpower.
Behind the self-discipline of a guide dog's personality lies the use of games to allow it to release pent-up energy and emotions. Whenever the guide dog harness comes off after they get home, Dian knows that she is "off work," and then she loves to play tug-of-war or hide-and-go-seek with Shujun. Dian even remembers where Shujun had hid in former games, and uses her previous experience to find her again. When she finds Shujun she barks happily and wags her tail, appearing to be a completely different animal-and now very much a "dog"-from her watchful, silent working self.
As with other visually impaired persons, Shujun also feels "separation anxiety" toward Dian. "But I tell myself rationally that as long as I am good to her, and make her as happy as possible, then I will have contributed something positive toward her life and held up my end of the bargain." But Chen admits that she can't even imagine how she will react emotionally if and when that day finally comes.
For the safety of the master, a guide dog's "career" is limited to eight to 10 years. Dian has now been with Chen for four years, and is over six years old, and there are flecks of white in her brownish hair. Shujun says: "I couldn't live without her. Even when she retires, I will figure out some way to keep her with me, because she will always be my caramel baby!"