The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, which has operated a facility at 152 Wilson Street in Oakville for decades, is set to build a new "state-of-the-art" national Dog Guide training school to meet rising demand.
As part of their latest campaign, "The Difference," the foundation has raised $40 million of their $50 million fundraising goal for a new 89,000 square foot facility located at 1949 Ironoak Way. The project is expected to be completed by 2026.
The announcement was made on Monday, June 10, 2024, at an event featuring active dog guides, guides in training, and future guides whose roles have yet to be determined. One of the foundation's key sponsors, Pet Valu, presented a check for $500,000 at the event, earmarked for funding a Puppy Training Room at the new facility.
"We are bursting at the seams with our existing facility and it truly is one of the limiting factors for our work right now," said Lions Foundation CEO Bev Crandell.
The foundation, which provides service dogs to people with disabilities, operates without government funding. According to the foundation's website, each Dog Guide costs around $35,000 to train and place. Currently, part of the training and placing process involves a residency for new clients, which is not fully accessible at the existing facility.
"The demand for our dogs we know is high; we know that about 1 in 5 Canadians are facing disabilities and could benefit from a dog guide," said Crandell. "We are going to be able to create an environment that is 100% accessible for our clients, many of our clients face physical and medical disabilities, so to come into our school right now, the first thing you see when you walk into our school is a set of stairs."
"To be able to meet our clients needs and serve them and make them feel comfortable and safe in the environment which they learn, that's going to make a huge difference to their ability to really feel comfortable and bond and learn and train with their dogs, and that means more success for them," she continued.
Renderings of the new building depict a highly modern setting with appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities and various specialized training rooms.