THE houndbloggers don’t watch a lot of television, but the other night we stumbled upon a documentary we thought we’d pass along. It’s called Through a Dog’s Eyes. In basic terms, it’s about a program called Canine Assistants that matches services dogs with people who need them. The documentary shows Canine Assistants founder Jennifer Arnold as she and her team raise and train puppies into competent service dogs, and then match dog and human, then help the pair train together.
The canine-human partnership can be mutually fulfilling.
It’s the relationship part of the story, and the way that training becomes a language that bonds the dogs and their people, that particularly interested us. As the documentary’s summary at PBS noted, “Sometimes what began as love at first sight deepens. Occasionally the initial chemistry doesn’t last. Overall, it’s a bonding process that, as with any relationship, takes work and time.”
We’re pretty sure a lot of huntsmen would agree with that!
Most of all, Through a Dog’s Eyes provides another interesting view into the canine-human relationship and how surprisingly rich that relationship and its language can be. The golden thread clearly is not limited to packs working in the hunt field, but also can connect individual dogs and their owners. There’s some fascinating research about that bond and how dogs learn from people, and that’s covered in this film, too.
To watch the documentary for free online, click here.
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