Explainer Video: About GDB

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Enjoy this illustrated explainer video about Guide Dogs for the Blind.

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Not all heroes wear capes… some are furry and walk on four legs.

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A yellow Lab guide dog in harness.

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At Guide Dogs for the Blind, we believe everyone deserves to live the life they want to live, and to move through the world safely and confidently.

Which is why we match people who are blind or visually impaired, living in the U.S. or Canada, with exceptional guide dogs - at no cost to them.

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A person with a guide dog.

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We even help with veterinary bills and ongoing essential support.

We create these life-changing partnerships entirely through private donations, and with the help of thousands of volunteers.

And of course with our incredible dogs.

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A group of people with dogs.

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Our dogs are guide dogs at the DNA level – we breed them specifically to do this work.

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Two dogs and a DNA helix.

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At three days old, our dogs start spending time with volunteers called puppy socializers.

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A person with a newborn puppy.

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Being a puppy socializer isn’t just a dream job, it’s how we help our puppies get comfortable being around humans.

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A volunteer interacts with puppies.

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At eight to ten weeks, puppies go live with volunteer puppy raisers.

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A puppy raiser receives a puppy.

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These volunteers dedicate a year of their lives to get these dogs ready for more advanced training.

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The dog matures.

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When the dogs come back to the school, our world class staff teach them the complex skills required to become successful guide dogs.

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Two GDB instructors train dogs.

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After about twelve weeks of training, a dog is matched with their person.

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A person hugs a guide dog.

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This matching process is part art, and part science, and always quite remarkable.

Our clients and dogs undergo two weeks of personalized training together and begin to form a magical and lasting bond.

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A person and guide dog in caps and gowns.

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After graduating, clients return home with their guide dogs, empowered to enjoy lives with greater mobility, independence, and inclusion.

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Three scenes of people with their guide dogs at home, work, and play.

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None of this would be possible without the generosity of our extended community of volunteers and donors.

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A group of people and dogs.

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To learn more about supporting our life-changing mission, visit us online.

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GDB logo and URLs: guidedogs.com and gdbinternational.ca.