In 2015 we welcomed a sassy 4-legged fur ball with a wagging tail that Bella can still not resist pulling on to this day. I wrote a Letter to Kadence to share our family’s experience in our first year with her, and over the past 7 years Kadence has been by Bella’s side going to school, IBI therapy clinic, medical appointments, and even a few trips to Florida. Our family is grateful for Kadence, as she has provided a level of independence for Bella to participate in many day-to-day outings and activities in our community.
Our family is thankful for the work of the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides to support the disabled community. Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides is a national charity and its mission is to empower 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.
FACT - Each Dog Guide costs the foundation $35,000 to raise, train, and place, but they are provided at no cost to qualifying applicants. Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides does not receive any government funding, and relies on the generosity of Canadians to meet its mission.
FACT - All Dog Guides are professionally trained by Lions Foundation Instructors for a period of four to six months. Dog Guides are fully trained in one of the seven programs, and are then matched with their handler.
FACT - The period of formal training follows a year spent with a foster family, during which the Dog Guide puppy – or future Dog Guide – learns basic obedience and is socialized to the world around them.
Today I’d like to share my platform with the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides and the Pet Value Walk for Dog Guides to feature some of the amazing instructors who train the dog guides to master specific skills in a designated program, and tailored to meet the specific needs of their future handler.
Canine Vision
“Canine Vision Canada was the first program established at the Lions Foundation of Canada in 1983. A Canine Vision Dog Guide Enhances the Lives of Canadians who are at least 12 years old and are blind or visually impaired. They help their partner with independence, confidence and safety. These Dog Guides are trained to avoid obstacles, listen to directional instructions, stop at curbs and steps, find doors, stairs, seats, curbs and places which are visited regularly. They also help keep their partner straight when crossing a road – but it is up to the handler to decide where and when to cross safely. The dogs we train to be Dog Guides need to be confident in all environments, willing and responsive. The relationship between the handler and their Dog Guide is very important. Handlers are trained how to manage their Dog Guide. The handler needs to have good orientation skills, and give the dog directional instructions.” - Alissa Silvester, Instructor
Service
“Training Dog Guides for the Service Program has brought me so much joy. In this program, Dog Guides are taught to fetch items for their person, open and close doors and drawers using tug ties or their nose via nudging doors. Service Dog Guides also bark to draw attention to their person if they need help. These skills give our clients the ability to be more independent in their lives. Service Dog Guides can become a best friend who always enjoys being needed. It can take about 6 to 8 months to train the dogs with all of these skills. It costs $35,000 to raise, train and place a Dog Guide with their handler.” - Rhonda Workman, Instructor
Hearing
“Hearing Dog Guides are trained for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The dogs are taught 7 different commonly heard sounds: door knocking, door bell, phone, timer, name calling, wake up alarm, fire alarm. We train our dogs to alert their person and guide them to the source of the sound, with the exception of a fire alarm in which they will spin to let their handler know there is an emergency and they can get to safety. Our dogs usually have to be smaller in stature because they are jumping up to alert people. We don't want bigger dogs that may knock some of our clients over. The dogs we train have to be able to and want to work independently since they need to alert their handler about the sounds.” - Julia Murphy, Instructor
Seizure Response
"Dogs in the Seizure Response Program are trained for people with epilepsy. These Dog Guides are trained to respond to their client’s seizures by barking for help until someone comes to check on them, or they stop having the seizure. Dog Guides in the Seizure Response Program are also trained to fetch a kit, which may contain medication the person needs after having a seizure. They are also trained to alert a lifeline system, and to go get someone in their client’s home. We like Seizure Response Dog Guides to be very in-tune with their clients. We want dogs in our program to want to be with their client at almost all times. These traits allow the dogs to respond to the client’s seizure quickly and efficiently." - Melanie Krumme
Autism Assistance
“An Autism Assistance Dog Guide is trained to help children who are between the ages of 3-12 years old that are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. These dogs are trained to provide safety for children who bolt (run away). The Dog Guide acts as an anchor when pressure is on the harness or the command is given by the parent handling the dog. An Autism Assistance Dog Guide also helps provide a calming effect when the child is in a high anxiety situation, most commonly experienced in public places. Dogs provide a naturally calming influence, and can help alleviate severity of meltdowns. There is an option for the Autism Assistance Dog to attend school with the child which decreases stress, and therefore increases attention span and a greater aptitude for learning. Close contact and presence of the Dog Guide beside them during sleep may decrease anxiety levels and help a child to stay in their bed. The Dog Guide can help with public awareness, and encourage the community to approach in a positive, non–judgmental manner. The dogs in the AAD program need to be at least 50 lbs to be trained to anchor for a child that bolts. The dogs we pick for this program need to be calm in nature and confident to be able to adapt to different environments/scenarios.” - Sarah Clarke, Instructor
Diabetic Alert
“The Diabetic Alert Dog program trains dogs to alert to a drop in blood sugar. The dogs are able to detect a scent associated with the chemical change in the body and alert their handler to their dangerously dropping lows. The Dog Guide will then push their nose against the person’s leg repetitively in a ‘boop’ motion to notify the handler that their sugars are low. The Diabetic Alert dogs can also fetch a kit, which carries the client’s glucometer kit, or a juice box to treat their low. They can alert a lifeline system or go get someone in an indoor environment. These Dog Guides are also trained to bark for help if their client falls unconscious. In our program we want dogs who are very nose oriented. We need the dogs to be able to do the scent work so a good nose is high priority. We also want a dog that is affectionate and interested in their handler. These qualities make the Dog Guide more likely to pick up on the lows because they are staying close by. We also want high energy dogs in this program because they need to be able to keep up with their clients and still be able to do their scent work.” - Amanda Crowe, Instructor
Facility Support
“Our Facility Support Dogs are used by professional organizations that are supporting individuals in traumatic situations. The dogs are trained to have a non-judgmental attuned presence and provide comfort to victims of a sudden crime or tragedy. Facility Support Dogs can provide support to those providing difficult discolure to police for crimes such as child abuse, sexual assult etc. They also provide comfort for the men and women that work within the police departments after dealing with difficult calls or interactions. Facility Support dogs need to be very laid back and stay calm in a variety of different situations. They need to be able to transfer between two or three handlers depending on what type of organization they are placed in.” - Courtney Starr, Instructor
Thank you to all the staff at the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides for giving a glimpse of the amazing work you do for people living with disabilities! Our family is excited to join your organization this month in the upcoming Pet Value Walk for Dog Guides to help raise money for your organization.
As shared, it costs approximately $35,000 to breed, train, and match a life-changing Dog Guide with a person or family. Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides receives no government funding, and relies on the generosity of Canadians to make its mission possible. Thanks to the title sponsor, Pet Valu, 100% of funds raised go directly to providing Dog Guides to Canadians…. and there is no registration fee! If you are interested in supporting this fundraiser, please register for this FREE event and/or donate, HERE.
Our family will be participating in this fundraiser with the Markham Lions Club, on Saturday, May 28th. If you’re in the hood, join us for a fun day out in the community. This event is dog-friendly (but you don’t need one to participate) and the walk routes are suitable for all ages and abilities! Bella will definitely be there with her favourite companion who has four legs and a tail!
