SJR55

A Joint Resolution designating August of each year as “Guide Dog CARE (Community Awareness, Respect, and Education) Month” in New Jersey.

Whereas, Guide dogs enhance independence, mobility, dignity, and self-confidence of blind and visually impaired individuals throughout the United States, thereby giving them a higher quality of life; and

Whereas, The State of New Jersey is home to the oldest existing guide dog training school in the world, having been founded in 1929; and

Whereas, Thousands of dollars and hours are invested in breeding, raising, and training guide dogs before they are paired with a visually impaired or blind individual; and

Whereas, Nationwide, approximately 8,500 individuals have guide dogs that allow them to move about safely, effectively, and independently; and

Whereas, Interference or attacks by other dogs continually threatens both the physical and emotional well-being of guide dogs and their owners; and

Whereas, In the United States, approximately 44 percent of guide dogs have been attacked by other dogs; 74 percent were attacked within a 30 minute walk of their home; and 31 percent of the attacks occurred in the summer months of June, July, and August; and

Whereas, Seventy-six percent of guide dogs have been attacked by a loose dog and 47 percent have been attacked by a leashed dog that was not adequately controlled by its owner; and

Whereas, Guide dogs and their owners are especially vulnerable to attacks, not only because of the owners’ visual limitations and limited ability to defend themselves, but also because guide dogs are trained to be unresponsive to approaching dogs when they are guiding their owners, which often makes them a target; and

Whereas, Many of the attacks result in negative changes in the guide dog’s behavior towards other dogs, including becoming easily distracted by other dogs, becoming aggressive towards other dogs, and becoming fearful or shy of other dogs; and

Whereas, These behaviors compromise the guide dog and the owners’ ability to work safely and effectively, causing both to become vulnerable to harm and hindering the ability of the owner to travel freely without being fearful of subsequent attacks; and

Whereas, Some attacks are so severe that the guide dog is temporarily unable to work or retired from service because of physical injuries; and

Whereas, Financially, the cost of an attack on a guide dog is extraordinary in terms of injury, veterinary care, dog guide retraining and replacement, emotional trauma, and loss of mobility for the owner; and

Whereas, There are ways for the public to prevent attacks and interference with guide dogs which include, never allowing their dogs near a guide dog, even if the dogs are leashed, as guide dogs are working and must not be distracted from their duties; keeping their dogs on a leash and under control at all times, never allowing their dogs to run loose; never leaving their dogs tied up unattended in a public place; reporting loose dogs in the neighborhood to police; and offering assistance to a blind owner if an attack or interference with a guide dog is witnessed; and

Whereas, It is fitting and proper that the month of August be designated to acknowledge the contributions that guide dogs have made to the lives of many individuals, to bring awareness to the devastating consequences of an attack or interference with a guide dogs and to promote awareness of ways to prevent attacks and interferences; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The month of August of each year shall be designated as “Guide Dog CARE (Community Awareness, Respect, and Education) Month” in New Jersey.

2. The Governor is requested to annually issue a proclamation calling upon public officials and the citizens of New Jersey to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs.

3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill designates August of each year as “Guide Dog CARE (Community Awareness, Respect, and Education) Month” in New Jersey.

Guide dogs enhance independence, mobility, dignity, and self-confidence of blind and visually impaired individuals throughout the United States. In the United States, approximately 8,500 individuals have guide dogs, which allow them to move about safely and independently.

Forty-four percent of guide dogs in the United States have been attacked by another dog with 31 percent of the attacks occurring in the summer months of June, July, and August. Many attacks have been by loose dogs or leashed dogs that were not adequately controlled by their owner.

These attacks result in negative changes in the guide dog’s behavior towards other dogs, which compromises the guide dog and owners’ ability to work safely and effectively. In addition, the cost of an attack on a guide dog is extraordinary in terms of injury, veterinary care, dog guide retraining and replacement, emotional trauma, and loss of mobility for the owner.

There are ways for the public to prevent guide dog attacks or interference including, never allowing their dogs near a guide dog, keeping their dogs on a leash and under control, never allowing their dogs to run loose and never leaving their dogs tied up unattended in a public area. The month of August is designated to acknowledge the contributions of guide dogs, to promote awareness of the devastating consequences of a guide dog attack or interference and to bring awareness to ways to prevent both attacks and interferences.