Causes: Animal Services, Animals, Blind & Visually Impaired Centers, Disabilities, Human Services

Mission: Guiding Eyes for the Blind provides guide dogs to people with vision loss. We are passionate about connecting exceptional dogs with individuals for greater independence.

Target demographics: People With Vision Loss

Direct beneficiaries per year: graduated 150+ guide dog teams and supported 1,000+ active guide dog teams

Programs: Student Instruction & Dog Training - comprised of the following functional programs: residential training, specialized training, and home training. These programs provide a fully trained guide dog and extensive personalized instruction to individuals with vision loss. All services including travel costs and room & board are provided free of charge to all students. Approximately 150 students graduate with a Guiding Eyes dog each year. Guiding Eyes supports over 1,000 active guide dog teams throughout the United States and Canada.

Canine Development Center - responsible for providing a strong foundation for future guide dogs. The programs that comprise the Canine Development Center are genetics & breeding, whelping, brood & stud care, early & home socialization, and puppy raising. All staff and volunteers are trained through Guiding Eyes' STEP(r) program, which emphasizes the importance of the human-animal bond. The Canine Development Center researches and utilizes estimated breeding values using data-driven temperament & health measurement systems to increase the percentage of puppies that are successful as guides.

Veterinary Hospital - provides veterinary care for newborn puppies, broods and studs, adolescent dogs being raised by volunteer puppy raising families, dogs in harness training, local active guide dogs, and even retired guide dogs. Guiding Eyes has two veterinary hospitals located at both the Training School campus and the Canine Development Center. All of these dogs account for over 4,000 visits per year.