Seeing Eye Dog: Ultra
Ultra (Violet) is a little over two years old she was born April 22, 2013. She has been with Sarah for almost a year.
Dashnaw is a UT student studying Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and a Second major in Global Studies. She plans to go to law school and become an international human rights attorney.
The Seeing Eye, a training center, in New Jersey was where Ultra was trained. Her training started 14 months after she was born. After a four moth training session seeing eye dogs are taken to a class to be matched with a human. If they are matched the two go through a month long train together, if not matched. Training a seeing eye dog takes at least four months but they can lose their training in two weeks.
Guides for behavior around Seeing Eye Dogs From The Seeing Eye website
1. Please don’t let your pet near a guide dog, even if your pet is leashed. Even
allowing your pet to visit or “say hi”, for just a moment can cause the guide
dog to lose focus on the important job he has to do
2. It’s helpful to let a person who is blind know that you are nearby and tell
them if you have a dog with you
3. Do not call the dog’s name, make eye contact, feed or talk to the dog. It’s
always best to treat the dog as if he is not there
4. Do not pet a guide dog when he is wearing the harness. If the dog is resting
without his harness, ask the owner before you pet the dog and respect the
person’s decision if they say no
5. Do not shout directions, take the person by the arm or interrupt them
when they are crossing the street. If you are concerned for their safety, ask
them if they need help first.