Offers of new homes for retired guide dogs
The Shanghai Guide Dog School in the Pudong New Area said it received two offers on Thursday to adopt a pair of retired guide dogs who had been at the school for nearly four years.
One man said he would be happy to take care of 14-year-old Fang Yun along with colleagues at his company during the day and take her home at night.
"I have a lot of colleagues at the company and we will take good care of Fang Yun together," the man surnamed Yang told the school.
"My three partners in the company and I all like dogs and we can ensure a stable life for Fang Yun," he said.
Yang said he would be play with Fang Yun outdoors and ensure she had a happy life in her old age.
Another offer came from a Shanghai woman who contacted the school on WeChat.
"She has sent us photos of her living place and she wants to adopt Ta Zhang," said Zhu Jun, a teacher at the school.
"We learned that she had adopted an abandoned dog and said she would prepare a separate yard for Ta Zhang ," said Zhu.
"Both people have experience in taking care of older dogs and we will meet them on Sunday," he said.
"If everything is okay, we will agree to the adoptions.”
Zhu said that several people had visited the school with a view to adoption but had decided not so when they learned the age of the dogs.
Fang Yun and Ta Zhang (a male) are 14-year-old Labradors, and both have assisted visually impaired people for almost a decade. Since their retirement, they've been waiting nearly four years for someone to adopt them.
They were among the first batch of guide dogs which began service in Shanghai back in 2008. Some of those dogs remain in service while others have passed away. At present, only Fang Yun and Ta Zhang are without homes.
They've been staying at the guide dog school because their owners could not accommodate them after they retired. Their days at the school are mostly spent resting.
Most retired guide dogs are either fostered by their owners, adopted by the families who assisted in their training, or are returned to training centers for adoption.
"Fang Yun and Ta Zhang are mild tempered, but Fang Yun is slightly more active," Zhu said.