Therapy Dog Thursday – Guide Dogs

So all of us know the basic premise of a guide dog. This is a dog that we see with a visually impaired or blind person that helps them to get around. We see signs on store windows that say only guide dogs are accepted on the premises and we should all understand and know that when a guide dog is working (in their harness and / or with their jacket on) they are not to be patted (you send your love vibrationally)

But what do you know about Guide Dogs Victoria? In this Therapy Dog Thursday we share with you a little about the main organisation in Victoria that train Guide Dogs and also share with you about their Therapy Dog Program (not necessarily for the vision impaired) and how you can get involved.

Guide Dogs Victoria
Sine 1957 Guide Dogs Victoria has provided a vital service for Victorians with low vision or blindness.
But today they offer so many more community initiatives outside of training and supplying Guide Dogs, including training and education programs for the humans they support. The team at Guide Dogs Victoria work to ensure people with low vision or blindness are active and involved members of the community.
But back to what we are all really interested in – the Dogs!!!!

Did you know that not all puppies that start off training to be guide dogs will be placed with a vision impaired / blind person?
The requirements for a Guide Dog are high and exacting and not all the beautiful puppies that start the training process will be suitable for the role and responsibilities of a guide dog.
What is great about this is that they maybe suitable to be a Therapy or Companion Dog – providing much needed BUT different assistance to someone whose life would not be the same without them.
So when you see a Therapy Dog or meet a Companion Dog you might be meeting a doggo that started their training as a Guide Dog.
The team at Guide Dogs Victoria have 3 types of reclassified dogs – Therapy Dogs (including PTSD dogs), Ambassador Dogs and Companion Dogs. To be clear these dogs will be required to do different tasks to a Guide Dog and as such are not afforded the same benefits as Guide Dogs. And for dogs that are not suitable for any of these programs they then find a forever home with a loving family as a pet – which we all know the immense value of!!!

Want to Get Involved?
So there are a heap of ways that you and your family can help with raising a Guide Dog. Being a part
of raising these special dogs cannot be under estimated and we encourage you to visit the Guide Dogs Victoria website HERE!
Here you can find out about:

•  Puppy Raising – long term (12 months) or short term (be a temporary carer)
•  Volunteering – there are lots of ways you can help either for a single event or ongoing
• Fundraising – you can get involved with a fundraising event that is coming up
• Donating – there are lots of ways to make a tax-deductible donation – just check out their website.

In our next Therapy Dog Thursdays, we will share with you some of the dogs that are making a difference in the world that came through the Guide Dogs Victoria Programs. Keep your eyes open for those but in the meantime check out the Guide Dogs website and see how you can get involved.
Thanks for reading Therapy Dog Thursday – we hope you love all the wonderful things dogs do to make so many people’s lives better!

​Keep up to date with Guide Dogs Victoria at their Facebook page HERE!