I n the early 1980's Lions Clubs across Canada sought to develop a national project to reflect their service to Canadians with visual impairments.

 

The result was

Lions Foundation of Canada

and its founding program, Canine Vision Canada, which was established in 1985.

 

Since then the Foundation

has grown to include additional

Dog Guide programs: 

Hearing, Service, Seizure Response, 

Autism Assistance, Diabetic Alert and newly introduced, Support Dog Guides. 

Lions Foundation of Canada's mission is to assist Canadians with a medical or physical disability by providing them Dog Guides at no cost.

 

To do this, the Foundation

operates Dog Guides Canada, a preeminent

national training school and charity that

assists individuals with disabilities through

specialized Dog Guide programs.

 

These Dog Guides are provided at no cost to eligible Canadians from coast to coast despite costing upto $25,000 to train and place.

 

The Foundation relies on donations from individuals, service clubs, foundations and corporations and does not receive any government funding. 

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.