[nagdu] Guide dog star's owner quits job over pet. [China]

[Steven Johnson]

Guide dog star's owner quits job over pet.
Shanghai Daily
2011-03-17. 
A blind woman whose guide dog found Internet fame after it was photographed
on the Metro has quit her job in a dispute over the animal. The
three-year-old guide dog, named Liang He - which means Shine and Harmony in
English, became a web hit when a passenger photographed it lying quietly at
the feet of its owner on a Metro train. Guide dogs are an unusual sight in
China. 
Owner Li Ping, aged 23, had recently been given the labrador but left her
job as a blind masseuse in late January because her employer would not allow
it to stay with her. She has remained unemployed ever since. 
"I was asked to choose between the job and my dog, and I didn't hesitate,"
said Li. 
Managers at the massage parlor said the dog had to stay in the janitor's
room while Li worked, which she did not agree to. "He could not be left with
strangers for a long time, which risks harming his trained abilities. I also
feared losing him during my absence," she said. 
Liang He was provided free by a Nanjing-based guide dog training center. The
center is pioneering efforts to bring guide dogs to help the visually
impaired in China. There are more than 130,000 blind people in Shanghai, but
only 13 professional guide dogs, all provided by the center. 
Li's experience is not unique, as other blind people have complained of
problems getting their dogs accepted. They are frequently prevented from
using buses and taxis because of complaints from drivers and passengers. 
Metro management told Shanghai Daily they allow guide dogs on trains unless
other passengers complain. 
China has no law to guarantee access to public transport for guide dogs but
Shanghai's government has urged people to accept them.

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