how the pandemic is affecting US guide dogs and their owners

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... Burke is not alone. There are more than 10,000 guide dog teams in the US; Mira says that the hundreds it works with are all experiencing a need for retraining or early retirement. The burden of dealing with this issue falls on Mira (which is the only organization in the US that provides guide dogs to people ages 11-16) and non-profits like it. Those organizations are often underfunded and volunteer-run, and the added limitations of the pandemic have made it nearly impossible for them to safely train new service animals and retrain those already in service.

It has left Burke and other blind and visually impaired Americans in a precarious position for the foreseeable future. “It’s going to be a hot mess,” says Burke. “Years of people waiting for new dogs, years of people trying to get retrained … this is a very real problem.”

A cane offers a mobility alternative, but it would require a significant lifestyle change. With a guide dog, “[there’s] more freedom to not only move, but to think,” says Villaneda. At school, “I can tell Milot that we’re going to math and he will take me to the room on the other side of campus. It’s effortless. A dog allows you to spend a lot more time building your life and less time finding doors or stairs.”