Together Toward the Future with New Partners

On June 19, the “New Guide Dog Team Start-Up Ceremony” hosted by the Shimane Asahi Training Center was held at Hotel Granvia Hiroshima.

 This ceremony celebrated the new beginning for guide dogs and their handlers—who had completed their joint training—as they set out on their journey as new teams. This time, five dogs and six clients from the Chugoku and Shikoku regions, including one tandem pair (where two people share one guide dog), embarked on this new chapter.

All participating users have experience with two or more guide dogs. At the ceremony, they shared their daily joys, with one saying, “At first, caring for the dog felt like a burden, but now it has turned into a source of joy, and being together has become second nature,” and another adding, “I’m enjoying an active daily life, going hiking and traveling with my partner.”
 
 They also expressed their strong determination, saying, “Just because I can’t see doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. Precisely because I am blind, I want to actively go out with my guide dog and help foster greater understanding in society.” Every word spoken by the users conveyed their hope for a future walking alongside their guide dogs.

A total of 99 people, including government officials and supporters, gathered at the venue to warmly witness the new teams’ debut. Our supporters take the issue of guide dogs being refused access at restaurants and other facilities very personally and are enthusiastically expanding their circle of support.
 Some, upon learning about the current situation regarding refusals to allow guide dogs, have actively reached out to local shopping districts to distribute stickers promoting acceptance and set up donation boxes to raise funds for training.
 
Supported by the warm goodwill of the many guests in attendance, the ceremony was conducted in a friendly and celebratory atmosphere from start to finish.