Meet Ali Hance: GDB's Newest Qualified Guide Dog Mobility Instructor

Ali Hance admits that she has a "guide dog obsession." From the time she was a 7-year-old girl, Ali has been working toward reaching her lifelong goal of becoming a guide dog mobility instructor (GDMI). And now, GDB has the opportunity to congratulate Ali on fulfilling that longtime dream. She recently completed our GDMI apprenticeship - a multi-year program complete with coursework plus hands-on dog training and client instruction - to become our newest qualified instructor. We know that Ali's 7-year-old self would be so proud (we sure are)! So how did her young obsession get started? 

 

Ali grew up and still lives in San Francisco. As a youngster, her family were the volunteer custodians to a GDB breeder dog, a female yellow lab named Comet. One special thing that our breeder custodian families are able to do is visit with and help socialize their breeder dog's puppies before the pups go to their puppy raising homes. It was during one of those puppy visits where Ali's life path was set. "My mom said I wanted to pursue working at GDB after watching instructors train dogs on the California campus while my family was here to socialize with our breeder’s puppies," she said. 

 

Ali's interest sparked action. In 2013, she participated in a summer internship with our Training Department through a program that we offered at that time for teens during the summer school break. After that internship experience, she began volunteering in our kennels on the weekends, and that same year she also began puppy raising for GDB. She then completed her bachelor's degree in anthrozoology from Carroll College located in Helena, Mont. before joining our staff. "So, I am now fulfilling my life goal that I have been working towards!" Ali said. 

 

"I chose this career since I believe in GDB’s mission. I have always loved training and connecting with dogs, and I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. This is the perfect career for that!" she said. "There are so many things that I love about my job, including working with amazing dogs and great co-workers, as well as meeting clients in class and in the field. Watching a person/guide dog team meet each other for the first time always brings a smile to my face - everyone’s hard work is truly coming together during those moments."

 

In her spare time, Ali enjoys snow skiing, hiking, reading, and hanging out with her family and friends. She has an 11-year-old female black lab career change pet dog named Raime; Ali was Raime's puppy raiser when she a senior in high school. Fun fact: Raime also received a high school diploma alongside Ali when the two graduated together. Aw!

 

Congratulations Ali on realizing your childhood dream. We hope the obsession continues for many years to come!