Guide dog owner waiting for...

Lucky is as lucky does - at least for the eponymous Chinese guide dog.

When Ping Yali, China's first Paralympic champion, met her new best friend, there is only word to describe how she felt.

"Lucky," she said.

Dalian Guide Dog Training Base staff demonstrate the use of guide dogs in the city's downtown in December. [China Daily]	Guide dogs attend the opening ceremony of the Dalian International Marathon Tournament in June. [China Daily]

Ping, a visually impaired long jumper, became the second guide dog user in the country and the first in Beijing last month when a wagging bundle of luck literally set paw on her doorstep.

"Lucky", a 20-month-old Golden Retriever, was sent to her by Dalian Guide Dog Training Base, China's first specialized center based in Dalian Medical University in Liaoning Province.

But Ping's luck took a turn for the worse when her canine buddy kept getting barred from public places.

"We are not allowed to enter subway stations, buses or even supermarkets," said Ping, who has applied to be a torchbearer for the Beijing Olympics.

At the 1984 Paralympics co-hosted by Stoke Mandeville, England and New York, Ping, the women's long jump winner, envied foreign athletes who benefited from the assistance of guide dogs.

"I dream of taking 'Lucky' with me during the 2008 Beijing Games torch relay to let the world know we can now have our own guide dogs," she said.

According to local regulations, ownership of large dogs is restricted and dogs are barred from public places. Since guide dogs are a new phenomenon to hit China, no exceptions have yet been made.

"I was told by the police that I could not get a license for my dog, which means that it is illegal for me to take her out," Ping said.

The police officers understood her situation and tried to make a compromise by suggesting that Lucky could be taken outside as long as she were accompanied by an able-bodied person.

"They missed the point on that one," she said. "Why would I need a guide dog if I had a human being?"

Some 12.3 million people in China suffer from visual impairments and there is an increasing demand for guide dogs.

At September's Beijing Paralympics, many athletes will bring their canine helpers to the capital.

Ping is calling for greater public awareness of the issue in an attempt to remove physical and psychological barriers.

"We are working together with related departments to solve this problem," Lu Shiming, deputy director with Chinese Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), told China Daily.

"During the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, there will be a temporary regulation allowing the use of guide dogs in public places."

A scheduled amendment to the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Disabled Persons should give the dog users more leeway.

"Though only a limited number of visually impaired people will get an opportunity to use guide dogs, the introduction of them here is aimed at giving the public a deeper understanding of the concept 'barrier free'," he said.

"Hopefully, this amendment will be passed this year."

Guide dogs have already been allowed into four- and five-star hotels in China, as well as on domestic airlines like Southern Airlines, he said.

"The country is trying to provide barrier-free conditions but we should remember that China is a populous country and many public places are overcrowded," the wheelchair user said. "I am afraid it is not convenient for disabled persons or guide dogs to go to some places."

Barrier-free Olympics