International Guide Dog Day国际导盲犬日

When is International GuideDog Day？

Last Wednesday of April.

国际导盲犬日是什么时候？

四月的最后一个星期三。

Guide dogs provide constant1 help， protection， and companionship to peoplewith various disabilities and special needs， so thank them—maybe with a treat.

导盲犬为有各种残疾和特殊需求的人提供持续的帮助、保护和陪伴，所以要感谢它们———也许可以用美味犒劳一下。

Guide dogs do a great deal for their owners. Not only do they help guide theirowners throughout the day， but they also protect them from harm， help them withtasks， and provide consistent2 emotional support like no other. Guide dog trainerswork hard to help these loyal3 partners to practice these skills.

导盲犬可以为主人做很多事。它们不仅全天帮助引导主人，还保护主人免受伤害，协助他们完成任务，并提供独一无二的持续性情感支持。导盲犬训练师会努力帮助这些忠诚的搭档磨练这些技能。

These dogs are seen by many as a joy that makes the world a better place fortheir owners and their families.

这些狗被许多人视为一种快乐，它们让它们的主人和家人的世界变得更美好。

Guide dogs may have been around since 79 AD. Guide dogs have been usedin various countries throughout the centuries， such as ancient China and medieval4Europe.

导盲犬可能从公元79 年前后就已经存在了。几个世纪以来，导盲犬在各个国家都有使用，比如在古代的中国和中世纪的欧洲。

However， it wasn’t until the mid -1800s that some of the first legislation5recognizing guide dogs started to appear. One such activity was noted in 1838， whenBritain exempted6 license fees for sheepdogs and those kept by the blind as guides.This type of legislation encourages those who keep dogs that help them with theirwork or with disabilities.

然而，直到19 世纪中期，第一批承认导盲犬的法律才开始出现。其中一个例子是1838 年，当时英国免除了牧羊犬和盲人饲养的导盲犬的许可费。这类立法鼓励人们养狗帮助他们工作或帮助残疾人士。

The early 1900s began the organized training of guide dogs for blind people.

20 世纪初人们开始有组织地为盲人训练导盲犬。

People who lived in the era of WWII saw extensive7 use for these kinds ofhelping dogs， specifically for veterans who had lost their sight in the midst of war.

生活在二战时代的人们看到了这种协助犬的广泛用途，特别是可以帮助那些在战争中失明的退伍军人。

International Guide Dog Day honors the work that these service dogs provide forpeople with visual disabilities everywhere. These dogs have skills including leading ablind person around an area， helping with a hobby， picking up dropped items，providing emotional comfort8 during their service and much more. This is why guidedogs are some of the best service dogs to have.

国际导盲犬日是为了表彰这些服务犬为世界各地的视障人士所做的工作。这些狗拥有的技能包括带领盲人在一个区域内走动、协助培养兴趣爱好、捡起掉落的物品、在服务期间提供情感安慰等。这就是为什么导盲犬是最好的服务犬。

International Guide Dog Day providesmany opportunities to celebrate the day insupport of the community that trains andbenefits from guide dogs.

国际导盲犬日提供了许多机会来庆祝这一天，以支持社区训练导盲犬并从导盲犬上获益。

Learn About Guide Dogs

了解一下导盲犬

Here are some interesting facts aboutGuide Dogs：

以下是一些关于导盲犬的有趣事实：

The most common guide dogs breeds9are German Shepherds， Golden Retrievers andLabrador Retrievers. Sometimes poodles areeven used.

最常见的导盲犬品种是德国牧羊犬、金毛寻回犬和拉布拉多寻回犬。有时甚至会使用贵宾犬。

Guide dogs training begins when they are very young puppies， often when thepups reach about 8 weeks.

导盲犬的训练始于幼犬时期，通常是幼犬长到8 周左右的时候。

Don’t pet a working guide dog！ While guide dogs are in their harnesses，they are at work and can be distracted10 if people try to pet them.

不要抚摸工作中的导盲犬！当导盲犬穿着背带时，它们正在工作。如果人们试图抚摸它们，它们可能会分心。

（英语原文选自：daysoftheyear.com）