President Tsai ing-wen (蔡英文）brought her three retired guide dogs to the opening of the Huikuang Guidedog School on Friday. Her dogs Bella, Bunny and Maru seemed happy to attend the event.
Tsai said about her 14-year old dog Maru. “She seems to be going deaf, but only selectively. She can hear when she wants to.” She said she recently adopted a retired search and rescue dog who despite being small has become the leader of the pack.
At the opening, Tsai said she was delighted to see that guide dogs could be trained in such an excellent environment. She also shared with the public how to behave around guide dogs, “Don’t feed, touch, call or reject them and be sure to ask visually impaired persons if they need any assistance.”
The school is also building a Guide Dog Campus which will serve as a training center for the blind. The general public will be able to visit and enjoy massages by visually impaired massage therapists, a cafe with performances by the visually impaired, and a museum for the blind.