Pincher Creek's Purina Walk for Dog Guides to take place in May

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Bill Brown appeared as the guest speaker at Canyon School's recent assembly, held on the afternoon of April 4.  With his well-trained guide dog Jax at his side, Brown talked to the kids about the upcoming Purina Walk for Dog Guides fundraiser and the importance of guide dogs to people with disabilities.

Bill Brown tells Canyon School students about
the Purina Walk for Dog Guidesl
C. Davis photo

This year the Pincher Creek Purina Walk For Dog Guides will be held on Sunday, May 6, beginning with registration at the MCC Arena at 3 pm.  The Pincher Creek, Cowley, and Pincher-Cowley Roaring Lions are the hosting organizations of the Pincher Creek walk. All ages and levels of fitness are welcome to participate.

Brown himself is blind.  "I don't get lost, my dog knows where home is," he told the students.  "I live in Lethbridge, and we travel around safe every day."

He said there were 11 service dogs in southern Alberta.  Five of those are guide dogs for people with severe vision impairment or blindness, four are special-skills dogs that help minimize the dangers of seizures for epilepsy sufferers, and two help those with autism.

A dog guide's attention must be on its handler at all times, so please don't pet them when they are in harness.  They're working.

In all there are five different programs of training for these service dogs. Dog Guides Canada trains:

• Canine vision dog guides (black harness)
• Hearing ear dog guides (orange harness)
• Special skills dog guides (blue harness)
• Seizure response dog guides (yellow harness)
• Autism assistance dog guides (maroon harness)

Breeds common to the program include Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Standard Poodles, and some smaller breeds. One-on-one training takes from four to six months, and then the client spends two to four weeks bonding and learning how to handle their dog.  It costs approximately $20,000 to provide a guide dog to a client.

"There is no better support for a disabled person than a guide dog," Brown told the students.

Last year Lethbridge, Taber, and Pincher Creek raised over $50,000 towards the program in a combined effort. "I'm really pleased that for three years our walk has been number one in Canada," Brown said before his presentation.

As a result of the revenue generated by the Purina Walk for Dog Guides, dog guide clients get this life-changing assistance for free. It's the largest fundraiser of its kind, and the Lions of Canada's largest annual fundraising event.  100% of funds raised goes towards the training of guide dogs.

For more information, to make a donation, or to register for the Pincher Creek Walk for Dog Guides click here or contact local co-ordinator Earl Johnson at 403-627-5428 or email poxton@shaw.ca

www.purinawalkfordogguides.com