"Guiding Eyes for the Blind", one of the only associations in Israel that breeds and trains guide dogs, enlisted almost immediately after the outbreak of the "Iron Swords" war to help rehabilitate and strengthen the wounded, evacuees and soldiers – to whom it comes with the dogs.
"We arrived with a number of Labrador puppies at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where some of the patients arrived. We went through the wards, including those of ventilators, and saw how the tailed simply lit up every room we entered," said Tzipi Galperin, a doctor by profession who volunteers as a foster family in dog breeding. "Look at the impact of puppies on patients as well as concerned family members. We also reached hotels to which residents of Shlomi and Ashkelon had been evacuated, and immediately dozens of children gathered around us. For a moment it felt like we were in a different world, that we were in a different reality with sounds of laughter and joy. Since then, we haven't stopped, and continue to go to more and more places with as many dogs as possible."
Dogs of the "Guiding Eyes for the Blind" association, photo: Daniella Cohen
One of the patients the organization reached was 17-year-old Omar, who underwent surgery on her leg. "It's not easy to be in the hospital for 5 days," said her mother Merav, who was in the ward with her when the dogs arrived. "I was helping her get dressed when suddenly we heard the voices of dogs. We finished getting ready quickly, and when we left the room in the ward there a team was raising three dogs. Because she was after surgery, she could get out of bed, so one of the dogs just got on her bed so she could pet him. There are no words to describe the happiness and joy it brought her. You could see that it just lit her up, and now she wants us to adopt a dog, too, and I'm positively considering doing so."
Ella Matek, the organization's foster care director, noted that Labradors are up to the task because of their calm and sociable nature: "These adorable dogs have been trained to work with people sensitively and faithfully through their high emotional intelligence."
"There are no words to describe the happiness and joy." Omer and the dog, photo: Meirav Avitan
"Light up every room." The organization's dogs at Rambam Hospital, photo: Daniella Cohen
Galperin said the encounter with the dogs allowed some of the evacuees to talk about their dogs and their longing, as some were hurt or left behind. "It was good for them to meet our dogs, cope with the longing and show their love for their dog through our puppies," she said. "Even the parents were looking for an excuse to come see the dogs, and they enjoy it as much as the patients."
Of course, Galperin's dogs did not give up on the IDF soldiers either: "We released the dogs and let them run and run wild with the reserve soldiers, and we saw how everyone suddenly went back to being children."
Guiding Eyes for the Blind dogs with soldiers, photo: Daniella Cohen
The parents enjoyed it too. The organization's dogs with evacuated families, photo: PR
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