Danielle Rosenblum – Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides – Community Partnerships Manager

Guide dogs empower those with disabilities

Rudy Thiessen introduced guest speaker Danielle Rosenblum from the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides along with foster parents and their dogs – Karen and Casper, Heather and Nixon and Jane and Lark. Danielle said that she has been with the Foundation for three and a half years and loves every minute.

The mission of the Lions Foundation is to empower Canadians living with disabilities to navigate their world with confidence by providing a dog guide at no cost and supporting them in their journey together. Danielle said the 40-year-old organization has two facilities. The main campus is in Oakville and the other is in Breslau.

Puppies are bred at the Oakville facility and at eight weeks old are then raised by foster families for up to 14 months before being turned over to professional trainers. In about two years the dog is matched with a waiting client in one of seven different programs. The programs include Canine Vision, Hearing, Service, Seizure Response, Autism Assistance, Diabetes Alert and Facility Support. Potential clients must attend in-person classes in Oakville where they get acquainted with the dog and are assessed by the trainers.

Danielle said the foundation places about 250 dogs per year. With all the training, care and follow-up support for clients, the cost is about $35,000 per dog. She pointed out that the foundation relies on donations to fund its work. She added that even with that number of dogs processed each year, they are unable to keep up with the demand.
She said that the foundation is in the process of building a new 89,000 square foot facility in Oakville to try to meet that demand.

Danielle played a video that presented various testimonials from people explaining how their lives have been improved by their guide dogs.
She pointed out that a key part of the program is the volunteers who raise puppies during their first year or so and are responsible for teaching the puppy basic obedience and house training, socialization in different environments and attending puppy classes and vet visits. One of the volunteers, Karen, referred to herself as a serial puppy raiser having raised about 25 dogs.

During a question-and-answer session, Danielle suggested that about 65% of the puppies who start the program are successfully placed. You can learn more about the program at www.dogguides.com
Duncan McLaren thanked Danielle and the volunteers for their presentation and for bringing their dogs with them and issued a donation to the Foundation on behalf of the Probus Club.