Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc.

Our Instructors complete a three year apprenticeship program before they become certified instructors. Once a dog begins formal training for placement with a consumer, it takes approximately 3 to 6 months to complete. Guide dogs are trained to help blind or visually impaired people travel independently. To accomplish this safely, a guide dog is trained to keep on a direct route ignoring all distractions such as smells, other animals and people; maintain a steady pace; stop at all curbs until directed to proceed forward; turn left and right, and stop on command. Guide dogs are trained to recognize and avoid obstacles, such as narrow passages and low overheads. Guide dogs help the handler to board and move around buses, subways and all forms of public transportation. Guide dogs obey a number of verbal commands. Additionally, a guide dog must know to disobey any command that would put the handler in danger. This ability, called intelligent disobedience, is one of the most amazing attributes of a guide dog; that they can balance obedience with their own assessment of the situation. Our Instructional Training staff accomplishes all these training tasks as well as meeting specific needs our our consumers. During the formal training phase all dogs are housed on campus in state of the art kennels. Not every dog that enters formal training becomes a guide or service dog. We currently estimate a success rate of approximately 60%. After completion of formal training the dog is ready to be teamed with a consumer. The consumer and their dog are trained to work together as a team either on campus, in the consumers home community or a combination of the two. The process and the Foundation's commitment continues after placement with aftercare, follow-up, support and outreach throughout the life of the dog. The cycle is perpetual, with each stage financed 100% by the Foundation.

Since 1946, the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to people who are blind, have low vision, or who have other special needs. The Guide Dog Foundation serves clients from across the United States and Canada. People come to us for our trademark small classes and personalized instruction, and we have successfully worked with individuals who are deaf-blind and those with disabilities other than blindness or hearing impairment. In addition to our guide and service dog programs, the Foundation offers extensive education and outreach programs to broaden the public's understanding of vision and visual impairment, and access and disability rights.