Under different circumstances, Jenny would have been treated as one of China`s "talents", widely respected and given carte blanche in her work.  But, in a country as vast as China, Jenny is one of only 34 guide dogs around.

Jenny is the guide dog for a blind Beijing woman named Chen Yan, but too many people and businesses would not let Jenny do her job.  "I have never succeeded in taking Jenny into the subway station near my home; they don`t know how to deal with a guide dog in the subway." Chen said.

"More and more people now know about guide dogs,” said Wang Lin, a guide dog trainer，"but some places are still not accessible to the dogs.”

Guide dogs assist visually impaired and blind people by avoiding obstacles, stopping at curbs and steps, and negotiating traffic.

According to China`s Protection Law for Disabled Persons, Article 58, guide dogs can work in public places as long as they abide by local regulations.  

Currently in some cities and provinces, including Shanghai, Shenzhen and Zhejiang province, guide dogs are allowed in workplaces, museums, cinemas, hospitals and other public facilities.

"Guide dogs are new in China, but using this kind of assistance dog is the right of the disabled," said Zhang Dongwang, Deputy Director of the Rights Protection Office in the China Disabled Persons’ Federation.

In a country with over 13 million blind citizens, Jenny, a black Labrador retriever, is only the 18th guide dog.

Chen took Jenny home in April from the China Guide Dog Center in Dalian after spending one month training together to see whether they were fit for each other.

During training, Jenny worked outside the kennel twice a day, walking with a trainer 40-60 minutes each time. She learned to respond to commands in Chinese and English, and to not respond if a stranger calls her name.

Jenny is more than a working partner for Chen now, after only a few months.  "She is my friend as well as my eyes.  I experience a sense of independence and privacy which other aid people could not give me."

Chen once heard a story about the night sky: A dream will come true if a person keeps counting the stars until reaching 10,000.  "Though I can`t see the stars in the night sky, I can make stars with colorful paper.  My next dream is that one day my Jenny can take me walking freely in the city."