About Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides
When a dog’s potential is unleashed, so is a person’s.
What We Do
Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides empowers Canadians living with disabilities to navigate their world with confidence and independence, by providing a Dog Guide at no cost and supporting them in their journey together. Located in Oakville, Ontario with a breeding and training facility in Breslau (between Kitchener and Guelph), we are the only school to train Dog Guides in seven distinct programs. From breeding to rearing and training with a life-time of follow-up services, each Dog Guide is $35,000 to train and place. The Foundation relies on donations to provide these special matches and does not receive any government funding.
Our History
In the early 1980’s Lions Clubs across Canada sought to develop a national project to reflect their service to Canadians with visual impairments. The result was Lions Foundation of Canada and its founding program, Canine Vision Canada, established in 1985. Today, as Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, we train and match Dog Guides in 7 distinct programs: Canine Vision, Hearing, Service, Seizure Response, Autism Assistance, Diabetes Alert and Facility Support.
Our Mission
Empowering Canadians with disabilities to navigate their world with confidence and independence, by providing a Dog Guide at no cost and supporting them in their journey together.
3,000 Dog Guide teams have graduated since 1985
Over 1,000 active Dog Guide teams being supported across the country
Largest school of its kind in Canada, offering 7 specialized training programs
Professional Accreditations
Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides operates under the highest standards. We are a founding member of the Canadian Association of Guide & Assistance Dog Schools and a fully accredited member of International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International.
Lions Foundation of Canada is recognized as a member of Imagine Canada’s Standards of Excellence program, a charitable organization that meets the highest standards for accountability and openness in its fundraising practices and policies.
Vesper has made every single day of my life easier since we met. She catches my lows earlier than my technology does, and in doing so saves me from days of rollercoaster blood sugars. She makes exploring the world more fun and less worrisome.
