Visiting Guide Dogs for the Blind

Last time I was in the Bay area, I visited the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus in San Rafael. The GDB is a beautiful campus located in northern California. The hubs strapped a GoPro camera to my head as I got a crash course on how to work with a guide dog. Watch how I did in Blind Life episode 9.The future guide pups are born and raised under the scrupulous care of veterinarians and qualified staff. Once the puppies are weaned, they move into foster homes where they learn to socialize with other animals, people of different appearances, and various environments. Then when the puppies are older and ready, they return to the GDB to receive training to become a full-fledged guide dog.Dogs get matched with their new owners through selective criteria such as personality and pace speed. These new owners come and reside on campus for a couple of weeks as they themselves learn how to work with a guide dog.The GDB lifestyle is similar to that of a small college campus: there are dorm rooms with direct access to the outdoors so you can take your dog to relieve itself as needed, a kitchen cafeteria with semi-customized meals, a recreational room, a small gym, and lots of dog runs and playgrounds.I love how the buildings are inclusively designed with the blind in mind: doors and footers are painted a different color from the walls—being visually impaired, I often run straight into walls because they blend into the doors and floors, making it hard to tell where one thing ends and the other begins.One of the neatest things I learned about the GDB is how invested they are in the success of a guide dog and its blind owner. If you run into problems with your guide dog down the road, you can call the GDB’s hotline and speak with a trained professional who will try their best to help alleviate the issue. Sometimes, if the situation calls for it, the GDB will even send a trainer out into the field, all the way to the owner’s home, in order to solve the problem. Think of it as first-class tech support.I already have two small dogs, and our house is not really set up for three, but I might consider getting a guide dog one day. I would feel safer venturing out in public by myself. Plus, who can resist those adorable pups?We got to visit the infant puppies, and I just melted cuddling those cuties. Note how we’re wearing scrubs—you have to cover your clothes and shoes in order to protect the fragile pups.If I lived in San Rafael, I would love to volunteer at the GDB. They may have a problem, though, with me trying to slip one into my bag every day before going home.“Oops! I didn’t see that puppy in there!” That's a legitimate excuse, right?Do you have a guide dog of your own? What are some fond memories you have with your dog?

• Visit the Guide Dogs for the Blind website to learn more about the program and how to support.