Kendra The Guide Dog

Singapore welcomed her first guide dog in its history! Please say "Hi" and give my new friend, Kendra the labrador retriever, a very warm welcome! I'm extremely impressed by Kendra. She had her overseas training in the USA and I am sure her new owner, Mr. Kua, loves her very much! By the way, Kendra is a special guide dog for the visually impaired folks like Mr. Kua. I am sure he must be very proud of her too! Kendra is considered as a 'working dog' as she has to follow him everywhere he goes. Kendra becomes Mr. Kua's pair of eyes and she actually acts as his guide. She can't hold his hand because she's not as tall as him and she can't grasp his hands with her paws, so Mr. Kua holds Kendra via a harness and Kendra guides him safely through the crowds, through traffic and through all sorts of obstacles. Wow! She is one smart doggie indeed! And a very brave one too!

I want to be a guide dog too, but I would have to leave home and be away from Sharon and Jules and I can't bear with that! I am sure they won't want me to leave home too! Also, this article here states that guide dogs are trained to resist FOOD!!! Jules think I won't make it pass that test as I'd go ballistic the minute I smell food! You should see me when he comes home with bags of grocery shopping. I'd run round the bags, sniff and poke my head into the bags to see what he has inside! Sometimes, I'd succeed in running off with a piece of roasted chicken that he buys from the supermarket counter! Poor Jules has a hard time chasing me round the house and wrestling me to get back his precious piece of chicken dinner! I can't help it; it's an instinct and I guess being a stray doggie in the past, I still have this 'food for survival' instinct in me.

Sharon also mentioned that guide doggies are trained to be calm, to maintain their composure at all times and that they are trained to ignore the distractions of other people. Now, I am sure I would fail that test as I love people too much and I love making new friends! I love giving guests to our home 'million-dollar welcomes'! I'd jump on my two hind legs as high as I can so that I can reach their lips and kiss them! It scares some people off, but most people find it amusing and they love it! If I was a guide dog and out on the street, I'd run amok and try to kiss the lips of everyone I meet! Now, that would definitely spell disaster, chaos and mayhem for the visually impaired person that I am supposed to be guiding! Can't help it; Brown Monster here represents LOVE with a capital "L".

So, I guess a full-time career as a guide dog for the visually impaired is totally out of question. Sharon and Jules think that I am more suitable being a guard dog for the home than a guide dog! So, I'll stick to my day job as full-time K9 security manager. The benefits are excellent. I get food, boarding and most crucially of all, I get lots of LOVE!!