Guide dog training centers struggle

A lack of funding and high personnel turnover, among other factors, are hampering the development of such institutions as the China Guide Dog Training Center (Dalian), which hopes the government can provide policy support.

"The operation of such a base should be a government initiative," Dalian Medical University's Laboratory Animal Center director Wang Jingyu said.

"It's very difficult for me to do it, since, as a professor, I'm busy with teaching and scientific research."

Wang founded the mainland's first guide dog training base with support from the Dalian Disabled Persons' Federation in 2006.

Since then, 67 dogs have graduated from the center and are serving people with visual disabilities in 14 provinces.

One of the canines, Lucky, led torchbearer Ping Yali at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games' opening ceremony.

That led to a flood of phone calls from tens of thousands of applicants hoping to get a guide dog. But only a handful can be provided every year.

"I'd thought of hiring a professional manager to enhance the center's development," Wang said.

"But qualified candidates asked for at least 300,000 yuan ($47,970) a year. Of course, we can't afford that. The base operates at a loss."

Wang initially used his own money to run the center and has spent about 1.5 million yuan.

Wang is a member of Dalian's first Lions Club International charity team. The organization donates about 100,000 yuan to the base a year.

Dalian Medical University provides free space, facilities and utilities.

"The base would have already been shut down without this support," Wang said.

It costs up to 150,000 yuan to train a dog, which is given to a person with a visual disability for free.

In 2010, Dalian's government gave the base 960,000 yuan and has since provided 60,000 yuan for every guide dog delivered.

While this helps with money, the center's personnel shortage remains severe. At least 50 trainers have quit in the last three years.

Currently, there are 14 full-time trainers, who instruct and care for seven dogs each.

"It's arduous," said 25-year-old Liang Jia, who has worked at the center for three years.

A trainer earns about 2,000 to 3,000 yuan a month - half the average salary in Dalian.

"Those who insist on working here don't do it for money," Liang said.

There were 12.63 million visually impaired people in the country by the end of 2010, the China Disabled Persons' Federation reported. The UK-based International Guide Dog Federation said the ideal ratio of blind people to guide dogs is 100-to-1.

The Henan Kennel Association and the Henan Jinyangguang Charity Foundation announced in December that they will build China's largest guide dog training base by the end of 2014.