All pet owners love their furry family members, but for Canadians living with sight loss, getting a guide dog is so much more than gaining a companion. It's a life-changing experience. Navigating a world designed for the sighted can be challenging, and often frightening. Having a guide dog can provide the mobility, independence and confidence to live life without limits.
But getting a guide dog in Canada is harder than you think. Guide dogs for people who are blind must ensure the safe mobility of their handlers, which requires much more vigorous training than other service dogs. It takes about two years of hard work for a puppy to become a guide dog – and there simply aren't enough guide dogs available in Canada for those who need them.
The CNIB Foundation is working to change this. We believe that everyone who would like to have a guide dog should have that opportunity – regardless of their financial situation or where they live.
Living with sight loss can be challenging and isolating. For many, it can be terrifying to leave familiar surroundings, which limits career, family life and so much more. Guide dogs offer safety and confidence. They, quite literally, open a world of possibility for people with sight loss.
Please add your name to show your support of the CNIB Foundation's mission to make guide dogs available for all Canadians who would like to have one.
