(On June 20th, a cheque for $7,000 was presented to the Stittsville Lions Club by Wellings of Stittsville to support the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides. On hand, were Lions members, Wellings residents and Ottawa resident Lise-Marie Andrews with her service dog Hero. Photos: Stittsville Central)
In 2020, Patricia Struble, a Wellings of Stittsville resident, contacted Beth Lewis of the Stittsville Lions Club to share an idea. Patricia loves dogs and “had a friend in Alberta with a Canine Vision dog”. Patricia had this idea to assist the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides and had done her homework to know that any financial assistance would be welcomed to support this program. Her idea came in the shape of empty wine, liquor and beer bottles and the money to be collected from their deposits. On June 25, 2020, Wellings of Stittsville and the Stittsville Lions officially became partners to raise money for the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides.
Each year, a different Canadian individual or business matches the amount collected by the Lions Foundation. In the initial year of the Wellings-Lions partnership, donations were matched by Dr. Don Hilton and his wife Joyce of British Columbia, $8,012 was donated. In 2023, $7,000 was donated and presented on June 20th. Thanks to the matching program, $38,000.00 had been donated over the past four years to the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, with $19,000 of that total being donated by the Stittsville Lions Club.
“For the past four years, Lions and Wellings have been collecting the bottles, even during COVID, we worked out a plan. We are pleased to be able to continue giving people dog guides. Over the years, the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides program has over 3,200 dog graduates from the program,” said Lion Ron Armstrong. He has been involved with this project since 2020.
On June 20th, residents of Wellings and Stittsville Lions members saw firsthand how their fundraising effort is helping those who require a dog guide. Marc Bourbonniere, a Wellings resident who volunteers with the bottle project, explained to everyone about the adventure. Marc introduced Ottawa resident, Lise-Marie Andrews as a guest speaker, accompanied by her dog guide Hero. Lise-Marie explained how her Seizure Response Service Dog assists her in her time of need. Lise-Marie’s seizures occur at least once a month and Hero is constantly by her side to alert others when they occur.
When Lise-Marie experiences a seizure, her head falls forward and her speech becomes barely audible and jumbled. Most bystanders wouldn’t notice this, but Hero does and his training quickly takes over. He immediately reacts with barking while seeking assistance. Lise-Marie and Hero provided a demonstration that saw Hero at work. He was calmly lying on the floor, Lise-Marie simulated a seizure, and Hero was immediately sitting and barking to alert bystanders of the situation, until she signaled to Hero that all was fine and he resumed his calmness. Hero certainly lives up to his name. Hero is Lise-Marie’s second dog from the Lions. Previously she had Mayan for twelve years who had assisted her countless times.
Lise-Marie shared with us, “on May 26th, a dog guide walk took place in Kanata. Although I couldn’t attend in person, I was able to raise $750.00 for the dog guide program”. This dog walk was organized by the Stittsville District Lions Club and Kanata-Hazeldean Lions Club in partnership with Pet Value, a long-time cross-Canada sponsor of the dog guides program.
Training of the dogs is tailored to meet the specific needs of their future handler who are gifted the dogs. In the final stage of training, the client and dog guide train and live together at the Lions Foundation Oakville facility for two to four weeks. This helps to ensure that the new working team develops a bond and prepares them for their next step — returning home.
Since the initial Dog Guide Program began, it has expanded to include many more programs for which these specially trained dogs are needed:
Canine Vision for people who are blind or visually impaired;
Hearing for people who are deaf or hard of hearing;
Autism Assistance for children who have autism spectrum disorder;
Service for people who have a physical or medical disability;
Seizure Response for people who have epilepsy;
Diabetic Alert for people who have diabetes with hypoglycemic unawareness; and,
Facility Support for professional agencies assisting individuals in traumatic situations.
At a cost of $35,000 to raise, train and place each of the dog guides, the Lions Foundation relies only on donations and receives no government funding towards the program. The Foundation provides the dog guides at no cost to Canadians with a medical or physical disability. Now the largest school of its kind in Canada, Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides is located in Oakville and has a breeding and training facility in Breslau, Ontario. If you would like to know more, send an email to: info@dogguides.com or visit the LFCDG website.