Lace up your shoes and dust off your wallet this Sunday at noon as the Pet Valu Walk for Dog Guides kicks off the Barrie leg of its national fundraising walk to raise money to help the Lions Foundation of Canada assist people with disabilities.
All of the money raised will help fulfill the group’s stated mission of “empowering Canadians with disabilities to navigate their world with confidence and independence by providing Dog Guides at no cost to them and supporting each pair in their journey together.”
To date, the walk has raised more than $21 million.
Dog Guides runs a breeding and training facility in Breslau, just outside of Kitchener.
They specialize in breeding, rearing and training, with a lifetime of follow-up services, as each Dog Guide costs $35,000 to train and place.
Maria Galindo, communications manager with Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, recently spoke to BarrieToday about the importance of the work that the group does.
“It’s expensive, especially when you do roughly 100 to 150 dogs a year, which is why we rely on this fundraiser event,” she said.
The foundation does not receive any government funding.
“We get absolutely zero government assistance. It’s a big misconception. A lot of people think that agencies like ours get assistance, and we actually get nothing," Galindo said. "And the dogs are provided at no cost, despite costing $35,000 each."
From breeding the dogs to matching up with a client, it takes approximately two years for a dog to become ready for its assignment.
And it takes a special kind of dog to do the kind of work that they specialize in.
“The breeds that work really well are Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and standard poodles. We use the poodles in case people that apply have allergies to dogs, they can get a standard poodle,” she said.
Once a dog is placed, their service career typically lasts for around eight to 10 years, until they retire.
This year, there are more than 150 communities taking part in the national event with their own fundraising walks.
“Any small or big donation helps, and it takes us one step further to graduating another dog or to serving another client, so we can use community support as much as possible,” said Galindo.
The group will be set up at the northwest corner of Shear Park in Barrie. Registration begins at noon and the walk starts at 12:30 p.m.
Visit www.WalkForDogGuides.com for more information and to donate.
