Since this is a dog blog, a couple times a month our boy Bo thought it would be nice to get the news through a dogs eyes. When Bo decides to share his thoughts youll always see the tag Bo Knows. This post is a tribute to Endal, from the prior story, who went to Rainbow Bridge on March 6, 2009. Okay Bo, take it from here..
Modern day dogs are so much more technologically advanced than me and my generation. Just read this story on dogs using ATMs. In my day, all that was ever taught to assistance dogs was how to write out a check. Time flies when your begging for food
They might not be able to help if you forget your Pin, but these dogs can get your money out without paws-ing for thought.
The pooches are among an army of assistance dogs who have been trained to withdraw money from cash machines for their disabled owners.
They are adept at inserting and withdrawing cards at ATMs to help owners in wheelchairs who are often not able to stretch far enough to do it themselves.
A spokesman for charity Canine Partners, which trains the dogs, said: They put in the card and take it out and take out the money and give it to the person in the wheelchair.
I wonder whether theyre also trained to accept the ATM surcharge when prompted?
They cant put in the Pin but a person in a wheelchair can go sideways on and do that.
The article fails to mention the number of dogs that require re-training. You know, theyre the ones that secretly peek over their owners shoulder to find out the pin number. Then, once they have it, they abscond with the card, only to return when the account has been bled dry. Typically funds are spent right away on things such as cheweys, plush toys with squeakers intact, and Pee Cologne.
Up to 30 dogs are trained each year and the charity is hoping to double that figure next year. It takes two years to train them, in which time they also learn to load the washing and pick up items from shop shelves.
What? Theyre not trained to do the windows too?
Now in a wheelchair, he said that one day he was struggling to retrieve his cash from an ATM when Endal jumped up to reach for the card, money and receipt with his mouth.
One of the graduates of the scheme is ten-year-old Endal, who helped start the ATM service by chance.
The labradors owner is Allen Parton, a Gulf War veteran who lost the feeling down his right side after an accident in 1991 while serving as an officer in the Royal Navy.
You know Endal was thinking, Dude! Im starving. Just grab the money and lets go get us some grubCmon just grab it. Do I have to do everything for you?
Then he grabs it and says to his owner, Lets goand no, I aint doing the windows when we get home. Woof!
