'Bright angels': Guide dogs for visually-impaired people

Editor's note: Monday marks White Cane Safety Day, an international event designated by the World Blind Union to help the public better understand blindness and visual handicap.

China has over 17 million blind and visually-impaired people. Most are restricted to home due to lack of reasonable access to public places. In such a situation the guide dog, "bright angel" can assist sight-impaired people.

China Guide Dog Training Center founded in 2006 is the first non-profit guide dog training institution in China. Over the 12 years, a total of 154 guide dogs trained by the base are in service in over 20 Chinese cities.

Chinese guide dog training bases select Labrador and Golden retriever, species known for being docile and friendly. Each guide dog's service period is 8 to 10 years.

The training base is located at Dalian Medical University, in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province.