On Feb. 11, the Fergus Lions Club visited St. Joseph’s Catholic School here to educate students about the importance of dog guides.
The assembly featured guest speaker Kara Shaw, of Fergus, singing and performing on the piano. Blind since birth, Shaw recently received her dog guide, Kendall, and shared her experience so far with the students.
When Lions Clubs across Canada founded the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides in 1983, dogs were only provided to those with visual impairments, but now there are six types of dog guides:
– canine vision;
– hearing ear;
– service;
– seizure response;
– autism assistance; and
– diabetic alert.
Dog guides consist of golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, and standard and miniature poodles, and the cost for training the pups is $25,000.
“A strong community of individuals, corporations, donors, volunteers, foster families and staff, all committed to fulfilling one mission, contribute to the success of the dog guide programs,” a recent press release states.
“Collectively, they ensure that the growing number of Canadians living with a disability have access to life changing dog guides. With their help and generosity, the $25,000 it costs to raise and train each dog guide is covered, ensuring that dog guides are accessible to those who need them most.”
The Fergus Lions Club presented a video at St. Joseph’s Catholic School which showed how dog guides have changed the lives of many – and in several ways. The video showed a woman in a wheelchair dropping something and her dog guide picked it up; she couldn’t reach the handicap button to open a door, and her dog guide jumped up and pushed the button with its paw.
Dog guides allow people to live independently, and do things they otherwise couldn’t do.
“Governed by a board of directors comprised of representatives from each province and territory, the Lions Foundation’s mission is to assist Canadians with a medical or physical disability by providing them dog guides at no cost,” a press release stated.
The majority of future dog guides are bred through the Lion’s Foundation’s in-house breeding program. The puppies are bred and born in Breslau.
At six to eight weeks old, they start their first year with a foster family, where they learn basic manners and are socialized.
When the puppy is one year old, it returns to the Lions Foundation and begins formal training for about four to six months.
Clients then head to the training centre in Oakville where they are matched with their new dog guide, and the team spends one to four weeks learning to work together and bond. Clients do not have to pay for travel, accommodation, meals or their dog guide. Once the team has graduated the program, they return home and begin their new life.
