Serena Daub

Did you know that it costs $35,000 to raise a Dog Guide? When I first heard that I thought they had been mistaken. How could a little bundle of fur cost so much? But when you see how much training, veterinary care, and love goes into them - it’s easy to see why they are so expensive. Clients of Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides are able to get these dogs at no cost. This includes being flown in to Oakville and their accommodations when training with their new furry pal! Dog Guides has no government funding and relies on fundraising to raise the funds needed to graduate over 300 dogs every year.

Many of you know I have a 5 year old lab named Abby. I originally fostered Abby as a Future Dog Guide and at a year old she was ‘career changed’. This meant that she would not be continuing as a Dog Guide but would instead get to spend more time with me as my pet! Abby was career changed simply because - well, she’s not a very good worker! She would rather snooze the day away and while that’s perfect for me, it doesn’t make a very good service dog! Instead, she helps me get better at photography and more importantly, sell some calendars to help her friends graduate as a service dog! 

My second foster came to me two years ago as a yellow lab/golden cross named Lizzo. She is spunky, confident, always wants to be by you and most importantly LOVES to work! Sadly dog distraction and prey drive was too much for her and she was also released from the program. Dog Guides' incredibly high standards for the dogs coming out of their program means I now have two amazing pets!  She now joins Abby being a couch connoisseur but enjoys learning new tricks, saying hi to everyone at the office, and being the perfect little model. 

Recently not-so-little Stevey has come into our home.  At a whopping 75lb, this boy will be the perfect Autism Assistance Dog! Taking over the role of Lizzo's little shadow, Stevey has had a great mentor in his first year of training. He is a confident little man who is incredibly food motivated which makes him a dream to train.  A perfect combination of goofiness and sweetness ensures his future client will fall in love with his charms as well as his ability to keep them safe. He was named after a Lion and a former foster so he has quite the shoes to fill but he's been doing incredibly well in his time with us so far.  Stevey spent the last year training his little heart out and went back to Dog Guides a few weeks ago. He will be training with them for the next 6-8 months and then will be matched with a Canadian with a disability at no cost. A little su-paw hero 😍

We appreciate any donations, big or small, thank you for all of your support! 🐕‍🦺