Broadwater Lions Contribute To Leader Dogs For The Blind
Author: Bob Brastrup, Townsend Lions Club
Broadwater Lions Contribute to Leader Dogs for the Blind
Bob Brastrup
Townsend Lions Club
Lions clubs throughout the world, including Townsend, are dedicated to helping individuals with sight and hearing issues.
In 1938, attempts to obtain a guide dog by a member of the Uptown Lions Club in Detroit, Michigan were rejected by the only guide dog training organization in America at that time. The organization’s policy was that individuals could not be sponsored by organizations and donations could not be directed to a specific purpose.
The club then found a dog trainer who agreed to train four guide dogs for a total of $800 and the four individuals were selected to participate in the initial program. The Park Avenue Hotel in Detroit heard about the endeavor and provided free accommodations for the students as they learned to work with the dogs. The dogs and students became partners in February 1939.
Due to its success, the program expanded and eighteen blind students received dogs during the first year. Since then, more than 14,500 dogs have been paired with vision impaired individuals from throughout the world.
Leader Dogs for the Blind is funded entirely by donations and the dogs are provided to individuals at no cost. Training expenses can exceed $20,000 for each leader dog. Individuals who are legally blind, at least 16 years of age, able to care for a dog, and who have orientation and mobility skills are eligible for the program. The dogs are trained to the specific needs of the individual who receives a dog.
The Broadwater County Lions Club has, for many years, supported the Leader Dog for the Blind program and recently donated $750 to the program.
