Guide Dogs For the Blind

I’m opening up and showing you deep inside me what’s got my heart on my bucket list. Praying to just end up in this area doing just this. It was a big sign to me when I just happened to be driving by doing something else when I ran into their actual location. Not just that, but when my time freed up, they just happened to be guiding tours! Breathtaking!
Personally, I love matchmaking and these guys match guide dogs to the right person! For a whole week everyone gets to stay and pair up together. The chefs personally customize every dish to each client’s diet during their stay.
I don’t know how I’m not going to end up with an entire house filled with Labradors God help me.
I will return to attend a puppy graduation. They are open and quite a to-​do so I’ve heard.
5 stars
This place is not government funded
Give these guys 10 stars!

Wow ! What a place, we went to graduate a friends dog into guiding a blind person named Ralph from Boulder, Colorado. It was so hard to see Roberto go. He was such a good friend and calm black Labrador. Whe he saw us for the first time in 7 months he went wild, and when Guide Dogs are out of their harness, it’s play time. He played with my son for a while and it was a good goodbye. We know he is in service and helping someone who needs him badly. What a great experience and what a great facility. they have so many kennels for the puppies. Very nice people, volunteers and staff, puppy raisers included.

My dad came here to get a guide dog, passed their vetting process, but was removed from the program not even half way through. He was doing well, the trainers said so, however, when he injured himself, he was swiftly removed from the program. Susan the director said it was training issues, however, they didn’t discuss working on those issues prior removal of my father. It would be a great program if they cared as much about the people as they do the dogs. They care more about not being sued then helping someone’s quality of life. This has crushed my father. Give your money to an organization more deserving.

I like walks a lot, but I love helping people! And at Guide Dogs for the Blind they help you help people. So cool. They provide the best training and lots of companionship throughout the entire process. Seriously, you are never left out in the cold. Which happens sometimes, like when people go on vacation and the «house sitter» just comes over to watch a movie with her boyfriend and totally forgets to let you back in or even fill up your bowl and you end up sleeping under the bushes without any dinner.
Anyways, the food at Guide Dogs for the Blind is so good — SO GOOD! Like way better than Purina. But there aren’t that many treats, but that’s okay because dogs should «only get treats for their most specialest feats otherwise treats wouldn’t be special.»
I learned that at Guide Dogs for the Blind or GDFTB as we call it, cause we’re in a hurry a lot of the times with all of the training. We train so hard. And you should know its not always fun. Yea, we totally run a lot and we get to wear sweet red vests, but heeling sucks. Well… at first it’s hard, ’cause you just want to run and pull on the leash but do you know what would happen if you did that to a blind person in a cross walk? Not cool dawg. So its really important to learn how to heel. Its our job.
At GDFTB when it comes to training, we’re real work horses (that’s a little joke we use around here, ’cause obviously they don’t make saddles in our size). But yea, we work hard and we play hard — «Coast to coast Japan to Amsterdam, put your paws up for Purina without lamb — When it comes to helping people you know we’re the best, see us on the street please respect that vest!»
Woof. GDFTB 4life.
Out.

Great people! What a nice place! Thanks for treating us like family!

Guide Dogs for the Blind is an awesome non-​profit organization that trains guide dogs for people who are visually impaired. All of their funding comes from private donations, and they spend it very wisely. I’ve been a supporter of theirs for years. If you want to see what a great job they do first hand, visit their San Rafael campus. It is truly inspiring.

I have seen firsthand what a difference Guide Dogs for the Blind has made in the lives of blind and visually impaired people. The bond between the dog and his handler is incredible. Also, the lives of puppy raisers are forever changed by their experiences working as a volunteer and ambassador for this amazing organization. My family is raising our sixth puppy for Guide Dogs, and we can’t really imagine our lives without at least one Guide Dog pup in our household!
Guide Dogs is a well run organization, the dogs are impeccably cared for whether they become a graduate or not, and their employees are wonderful. Take a tour and see for yourself!

We’re so fortunate to live in the SF Bay Area, where there are non-​profit organizations such as the Guide Dogs for the Blind to help people like my mom who has lost her vision due to a combination of diabetes & doctors’ mistakes. When she couldn’t see one morning, she went to Kaiser SF, where a doctor lasered & burned through her eye beyond repair. We found out later that it was a retina detachment, but Kaiser didn’t know the real cause & lasered her eyeball out. Through the Guide Dogs for the Blind, it gives us hope that mom can continue to live life as normal as possible. At least it gives her a companion to spend her remaining years on this planet. The process isn’t simple or overnight. I hope to see this partnership evolve as we continue this long journey!

An oasis in San Rafael, California this campus is beautiful! Guide Dogs for the Blind has been providing training and guidance to low vision people for over 50 years this organization is amazing through and through. The organization breeds and trains guide dogs for individuals with vision disabilities. It has depth and character that make this non profit a constant stand out among non profits.
I was fortunate enough to volunteer as a puppy raiser for seven years and the experience will live with me forever. Puppy raisers work and train the puppy from a peeing, pooping bundle of energy at 8 weeks and return the dog a confident fearless worker at around 16 months. The sacrifice of both your time and energy in the training process is immense. It’s also extremely heart wrenching to place them in a kennel and say goodbye when its time to return them back to GDB for formal schooling. But, the impact that you may have on another humans life is tremendous. I was fortunate enough to have three of my puppies graduate as working guide dogs. The ability to see the puppy that you molded into this confident harness wearing guide yields far more than words here can express.
There is so much to appreciate about this organization, and one way to learn more is to visit either one of their campuses and get a full tour, or to visit their website with information an all the different departments.
Each campus also has other volunteering areas, too many to name here.

An incredible non-​profit organization that has been creating unique partnerships with guide dog/​human teams, servicing all of North America… and beyond.
So much to appreciate about this organization, and one way to learn more is to visit either one of their campuses and get a full tour, or to visit their website with information an all the different departments.
They also have some very rewarding volunteering opportunities on both their San Rafael, CA or Boring, OR campuses, or to become involved in the GDB Puppy Raising Program, with clubs in 8 western states. Each campus also has other volunteering areas, too many to name here.
And if you haven’t been to one of their graduation ceremonies, you really have to schedule that. Graduations are always open to the public and they have a full schedule on their website: