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16th Apr 2019

Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind launch national fundraising day

Alan Loughnane

Guide Dog day

This is an excellent cause.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has launched the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind’s one day national fundraising campaign, Guide Dog Day, which takes place on Friday 10 May.

Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB) is Ireland’s national charity dedicated to helping people who are vision impaired and families of children with autism to achieve improved mobility and independence.

The cost of each Guide Dog partnership is almost €53,000, this includes the breeding, training and maintenance of all the dogs.

It costs over €5 million annually to provide their service and IGDB receive over 80% of their income from fundraising and voluntary donations which means they need your help to keep providing their wonderful service.

Speaking at the launch Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “We can all take our sight for granted, and not realise how important it is in daily life. Irish Guide Dogs does vital work for people right across Ireland, providing dogs for people living with sight loss, and also for children with autism.

“I know the organisation is determined to provide services for even more people this year, so I encourage everyone to get involved in Guide Dog Day on Friday 10 May. You can offer to buy a Guide Dog Day pin, volunteer to help out on the day, or donate online at www.guidedogs.ie/donate.”

All services are offered free of charge and include the following:

  • The Guide Dog Programme for people who are blind or vision impaired
  • The Assistance Dog Programme for families of children with autism
  • Orientation and Mobility Training (Long Cane)
  • Independent Living Skills Training
  • The Child Mobility Programme