Smartphone Zombies Cause Huge Guide Dog Shortage

Guide dogs 🦮👨‍🦯 have been in high demand lately, but not for the reasons you may think. People who walk around staring at their phones started using assistance dogs to help them avoid obstacles on the road. Smartphone zombies 📱🧟 are causing a serious shortage for the blind community buying up guide dogs to help them navigate on the streets safely.

A Serious Issue

Last year an estimated 1,500 people were treated in emergency rooms for injuries resulting from twalking(texting and walking). In the United States alone, that number is expected to rise to approximately 5000 in just two years.

It takes two years and costs more than $50,000 to transform a playful Labrador puppy into a responsible and highly skilled guide dog. They are specially trained animals that help blind or visually impaired people navigate safely and independently. They can perform tasks such as avoiding obstacles, stopping at curbs, finding doors, and crossing streets. They require years of breeding, training, and matching with suitable owners. The demand for guide dogs far exceeds the supply, and many blind people have to wait for months or even years to get one. An average Labrador guide dog can do his job for only about 8 years before retirement.

Some addicted smartphone zombies are even pretending to be visually impaired to get a free guide dog. They claim that they need a guide dog to help them with their disability, but in reality, they are just using the dog as a prop to avoid collisions with other pedestrians.

Isabel Holdsworth, who trained her own guide dog Lucy after her previous one died suddenly, said she was shocked when she met a woman who claimed to be blind but was clearly looking at her phone while walking with a guide dog. She said she felt angry and betrayed.

It’s not fair that someone would use a guide dog as a way to be lazy and irresponsible.
Guide dogs are not toys or accessories. They are life-changing partners for blind people who really need them.
- she said.

She urged smartphone zombies to stop using guide dogs and to pay more attention to their surroundings. She also called for more awareness and education about the role and rights of guide dogs and their owners.

While it's understandable that people want to take advantage of the companionship of a dog, it's important to remember that they are first and foremost for the visually impaired. When they are bought up by people who don't use them for their intended purpose, it creates a shortage that can have devastating consequences for those who rely on them.

Chimpanzees for Drive Assistants

Some smartphone addicts have come up with a bizarre solution to allow them to drive while browsing their phones: teaching chimpanzees to drive cars for them while commuting. Some apes managed to reach level 5 self driving capabilities.

The trainers claim that chimps are intelligent enough to drive and reach a destination. They strap the chimps into the driver’s seat, give them a banana as a reward, and let them take the wheel. Meanwhile, their owner sits in the passenger seat and play games, chat, or watch videos on their phones. They don’t seem to care about the risks or the ethical issues of this practice.