About

Southeastern Guide Dogs

About Southeastern Guide Dogs.Southeastern Guide Dogs, Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2014 Nonprofit of the Year, has the distinction of being dually accredited by the two premier, global accreditation bodies: the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) and Assistance Dogs International (ADI). Founded in 1982 inPalmetto, Florida, the organizationtransforms lives by creating and nurturing partnerships between exceptional people and extraordinary dogs.Southeastern Guide Dogs serves hundreds of graduates across the U.S. and continues to place more than 100 dogs each year into careers benefiting people with visual impairments and veterans. The charity provides all of its services free of charge and receives no government funding.For more information visit

Contents

Mission

Vision

Overview of Southeastern Guide Dogs

Alternative Careers

Numbers and People

Locations and Campus

Activities and Volunteer Opportunities

Who we are in 30 seconds or less

Mission

Our mission is to create and nurture a partnership between a visually impaired individual and a guide dog, facilitating life’s journey with mobility, independence and dignity.

Vision

Our vision is to be the best service dog school in the world in terms of impact, innovation, and integrity.

Overview of Southeastern Guide Dogs

  • Southeastern Guide Dogs is one of the most respected guide dog schools in the United States, and the only one in the Southeast. The school was awarded the 2014 Tampa Bay Business Journal nonprofit of the year.
  • The school is dually accredited by the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) and Assistance Dogs International (ADI), the premier global accreditation bodies.
  • Our guide dogs provide mobility, independence, and dignity for our visually impaired graduates.
  • We breed, raise, and train Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and a mix of the two called a “goldador.”
  • Our puppies are bred and born on campus. At 10 weeks, puppies go home with volunteer puppy raisers, who provide a loving home, teach house manners and basic commands, and provide regular socialization exposures.
  • At about 14 – 18 months, puppies return to campus for formal harness training. Certified trainers teach them over 40 commands, including intelligent disobedience, or learning when to disobey a command for the handler’s safety.
  • At about two years, qualified guide dogs are carefully matched with individuals based on pace, pull, temperament, and home environment.
  • Our visually impaired students live and learn on campus for just under a month, learning to travel independently and walk safely. They stay in a tastefully appointed private room with private bath, and dine in our cafeteria.
  • All of our dogs and services, including follow up for the lifetime of the pair, are provided at no cost to our students and graduates.

Alternative Careers

  • Paws for Patriots service dogs. Handpicked for confidence and calmness, these well-trained dogs help veterans manage post-traumatic stress reactions and reintegrate into society. The dogs learn five basic commands and additional, specialized commands that allow the recipients to regain stability and wellbeing.
  • Paws for Patriots facility therapy dogs.These friendly dogs “report to work” five days a week at military healthcare facilities and deliver cheer and hope to patients and staff. Clinicians report beneficial healing effects as our dogs ease fears, deliver calm, and take the focus off medicine, needles, and therapy.
  • Paws for Patriots emotional support dogs.These well-behaved dogs provide companionship and emotional support to veterans with disabilities, warming the heart and soothing the soul.
  • Public service dogs.Dogs that serve in law enforcement or fire and rescue as bomb sniffing, drug detection, arson detection, and firearms detection dogs.
  • Canine Connections dogs.Gentle dogs that provide companionship to visually impaired children ages 10 – 17, building a bridge between the children of today and the guidedog handlers of tomorrow by acclimating the children to the responsibilities and joys of dog ownership.
  • Ambassador dogs. Highly sociable dogs that enable active volunteers to provide outreach, education, and comfort to those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, and schools.

Numbers and People

  • 18: the minimum age for our guide dog handlers. There is no maximum age, but handlers must be physically able to care for their dog.
  • 26: the number of days our students live on campus, learning to navigate with their guide dogs.
  • > 400: The number of active guide dog teams we provide services for each year, including new guide dog teams and graduate follow-up services.
  • Nearly 3,000: The number of guide dog teams we’ve created since inception.
  • > 120: the number of staff members employed here.
  • 700: the number of core volunteers who donate time at least one day per week. Volunteers assist by raising puppies, hosting breeder dogs, walking dogs, conducting tours, offering administrative and special event support, and fundraising.Our Board of Directors is comprised of volunteers.
  • $Tens of thousands: the cost to breed, raise, train, and match our guide dogs with students, and follow up with our dogs for life.
  • $0: the amount our students pay for their dogs.We support our graduates for a lifetime, and provide all of our services at no cost to recipients.
  • $0: the amount of government funding we receive. Zero. We are a non-profit organization and receive no federal, state, or local funding; instead, we rely on the generosity of friends and supporters who donate to impact our puppies and the people who need them.

Locations and Campus

  • Our main campus is located on 33 landscaped acres in Palmetto, near I-75 and I-275. Our facilities include the Student Center, the Margaret and Isaac Barpal Veterinary Center, the puppy kennel, the Keith G. Hirst Canine Assessment Center, the training kennel, and the gift shop.
  • When students start training with their dogs, they spend their first week practicing on our secluded Freedom Walk. Their first venture off campus is out of our Bradenton training center, where they practice curbs and navigation in a residential setting.
  • The St. Petersburg Outreach Center and Dog Boutique builds awareness in these communities.

Activities and Volunteer Opportunities

  • Our volunteers make all the difference in helping usachieve our mission.
  • Volunteer puppy raisers “foster” puppies from ages 10 weeks to 14–18 months, allowing our puppies to become comfortable with home life, learn basic obedience, and begin to experience the world. It’s quite a commitment! For detailed information including an online self assessment and application, visit Guidedogs.org.
  • Volunteer dog walkersmake a reservation at scheduled times, and sign out a dog in training for a campus walk. Not every dog trains every day, so the ones left behind enjoy walks for exercise and companionship. Dog walking is available most weekdays and Saturdays. Visit the website for schedules and to make a reservation.
  • People of all ages enjoy puppy hugging, a campus activity that helps socialize the younger puppies. Puppy hugging is available most weekdays and Saturdays, and its best to reserve a spot by making an online reservation. Spots may be reserved for a $10 fee.
  • Guided walking tours are offered on most weekdays and Saturdays, and include observing a puppy education session. Visitors enjoy learning about the creation of a guide dog, and tours may be reserved online for $10.

Who we are in 30 seconds or less

Southeastern Guide Dogstransformslives by creating and nurturing partnerships between exceptional people and extraordinary dogs.We serve hundreds of graduates across the U.S. and continue to place more than 100 dogs each year into careers benefiting people with visual impairments and veterans. We provide all of our services free of charge and receive no government funding. To learn more visit GuideDogs.org.

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About Southeastern Guide Dogs