Why do blind people have dogs?

Answer 1

All Dogs rely on their sense of smell. Just as humans have a primary sense -vision, dogs have a primary sense - smell.

I'm sure you've heard that when a creature looses one of their 5 senses, nature usually compensates by giving more power to one of their other senses.

It makes sense that a dog's sense of smell would increase as a result of loosing its eyesight. I had a lab/chow mix growing up that had cataracts. She could barely see by the time she was 11, but that girl could smell me out a mile away.

Answer 2

Dogs can be trained as guide dogs to help a blind person navigate through society. They lead people through doors, watch out for traffic, pick a path through a crowd etc etc.

Answer 3

No, the proportion of blind persons with guide dogs is relatively low - most individuals who are blind navigate the world without a guide dog.