It’s almost time to give a yelp for dogs that help. Morinville’s second annual Purina Walk for Guide Dogs is set to take place on Saturday, May 31.
Lions Club member and event chair Deborah Robillard explained that the group is putting on the walk because these dogs do so much good for the community but they take so much effort before they can help even one person.
“We decided that we wanted to participate and help out. Lions Canada does all kinds of special projects for any groups and individuals that are in need of certain things. This is one thing that we feel is something that’s a worthy cause due to the dogs themselves, the cost of training them, the time it takes to train them and who they all help.”
She continued that guide dogs are not just for blind or people with physical impediments or disabilities. They can be trained to assist autistic children or people with type 1 diabetes.
“They can detect when your levels are low,” she said. “It’s amazing that they’re training these dogs for these things. It’s absolutely incredible! There’s a wider range of different things that these dogs are being trained for. A lot of people don’t realize that.”
It takes approximately $25,000 to train one dog, she added.
“It’s for families who cannot afford to get one of these dogs due to the cost.”
The Dog Guides' mission is to assist Canadians with visual, hearing, medical or physical disabilities by providing these specially trained animal assistants at no cost. The dogs can help people with vision and hearing impairments, physical disabilities, epilepsy, children with autism and people who have type 1 diabetes (with hypoglycemic unawareness).
The walk will start from the gazebo located between the Morinville Skyline Baseball Diamonds and the Morinville Fish and Game Pond located at 10710 107 Street.
Last year’s event only had a small attendance. Organizers expect that more people will get involved because public awareness is much better.
The goal is set at $2,500.
To pre-register online or to find out more information, please visit www.purinawalkfordogguides.com/locations/walk.cfm?ID=179. People can register on the day of the event too. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the event will go until 2 p.m. There are goodie bags and prizes for participants as well. A massage therapist from The Purple Lotus will be offering 10-minute decompression massages for $5 with all proceeds going directly to the cause.
People who feel that they could benefit from a dog guide can contact the Lions Foundation of Canada for more information.
