Dogs and Lions

Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides give aid to those in need

Last week the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides came to CML Snider School in Wellington to walk the track with the students and share info about their dog guide dog program. John Whyte and Janet Marissen of the Wellington Distict Lions Club were on hand with Hudson—a dog guide in training—to spend some time with the students, who raised just under $100 for the walk. The event is not only good for the kids, but good for Hudson as well, who needs to learn how to behave with large groups of people as a part of the dog’s journey to become a fullfledged dog guide. The Lions Foundation has a goal to assist Canadians with a medical or physical disability by providing them Dog Guides at no cost. Dog Guides can be trained in multiple areas for helping people. Vision, service, Autism assistance, hearing, seizure response and diabetes alert are the main focuses of the Dog Guide training. The Lions goal is to provide this service for free, but the costs for training a single Guide Dog are staggering. The cost to get a dog from birth, to being fostered and then having both the dog and the client trained is in the range of $25,000. Lions Clubs around the province contribute to this cause by organizing events called Walk for Dog Guides. A walk last week put on through the combined efforts of the Wellington, Belleville and Trenton chapters raised $10,000. Pet Valu and Via Rail Canada are corporate sponsors who contribute to the cause.

Wellington Lions members Janet Marissen and John Whyte walk with Hudson, a guide dog in training and students at CML Snider School in Wellington.

For Marissen, Hudson is the 18th foster dog she has had in her care. A self-professed “Crazy dog lover”, Marissen calls it a labour of love. Eighteen dogs also equals to roughly 18 years she has been fostering Dog Guides. She gets each dog at six or seven weeks old and will foster it until it’s reached year one.

“Unlike children, these come with a manual. To get them ready for the real training you must take your foster dog everywhere and have them introduced to different scenarios. For example, every dog we’ve had we take to a mall with an escalator to make sure the dogs get comfortable with going up and down on them” says Marissen.

Marissen has three dogs of her own, and all three were dogs that did not make it through the full training program. Foster parents get the first right to have the dogs back if they do not pass the training program. Because of the time and money invested in these dogs, they go through rigorous testing to make sure they are physically and mentally able to assist humans. Dog Guides must be healthy enough to provide multiple years of service, and dogs with certain physical issues like hip dysplasia’s and temperament issues will not pass the training.

The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides does not receive any government funding and provides these Guide Dogs through grassroots fundraising and corporate sponsorship. There is a long waiting list for guide dogs and their services, so anyone interested in sponsoring a service dog can find info at www.dogguides. com