Lions in Canada Train Dog Guide Puppies to Be Life-Changing Companions

Some of our clubs have found a wonderful way to give people with vision problems and physical disabilities the gift of independence – and a new best friend. We recently sent a film crew to a Lions Dog Guide Training Center near Toronto to see how Lions in Canada are turning puppies into life-changing companions.

Before a guide dog puppy embarks on an incredible journey of service, it trains with a foster family. Then, when the pup is about a year old, it returns to the Lions Dog Guide Training Center for six months of specialized training. The dogs learn skills like opening doors, fetching items from the fridge and calling emergency assistance.

The Lions pair each dog with a person who has a physical or medical disability, like Cary Brown, who is blind. “They change our lives by sponsoring these dogs,” said Brown. “They take you from a place of darkness and despair into light and hope and courage.”