By Rock Taylor – I want to begin with an apology for being so late with this thank you. For 26 years, people of Espanola, and Massey for a few years, have been faithfully putting money into the plastic “dog banks” residing at the exits in area food stores. As of year’s end, 2025, you’ve given $26,490.55! You know the dogs by name and location, or at least your children do. They are Tigger at Giant Tiger, Yiggy at Tanner’s YIG, Harley at Freshco and our newest member of the pack, Mindemoya Moe at Foodland (Moe was moved from Poirier’s Clover Farm last summer). On July 7th, I deposited $1,144 into the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind account! Every cent raised from this program is used to raise specially selected puppies up to be the amazing dogs that give independence to visually or physically handicapped people. How do I know so much about CGDB? Well, my wife Jenni had two of these beautiful, incredibly enabling dogs. Her first was Voss and her second was Harley. The dogs begin their lives as guides when, at about eight weeks, as puppies, they are given to families called “puppy walkers” who are responsible for socializing the future guiders. They are exposed to a wide variety of people, places and situations until they return to the National Training Centre in Manotick, near Ottawa, to be formally trained as dog guides for the blind. After they complete their “schooling” they are carefully matched with an appropriate applicant. Not all dogs successfully graduate, and not all dogs are suited for big city duties – think downtown Toronto, guiding on subways, navigating busy streets and high-rise business and apartment buildings. Once the dog is trained, the new owner needs to be trained to “handle” this beautiful new companion. Jenni lived in residence in Manotick for three to four weeks while training with each dog. I picked them up and we returned to Espanola, followed very shortly after by a trainer sent to work with Jenni and Voss or Harley in all the new environments that Espanola presented. The dogs are amazing, the cost of training is not cheap and the cost to the client is a symbolic fee of $1.00 upon graduation. Again, thank you for your part in providing funds for this incredible journey from puppy to working guide dog providing independence for a visually or physically impaired person.
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