Most of us have seen guide dogs out in the community, but how do they become guide dogs? In this edition of Pet Pointers, Lisa Chelenza tells us more about one organization who trains and places them.
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Raising and training a guide dog is a labor of love resulting in someone gaining a trusted companion that can help them lead a fuller life. It takes years for a dog to be ready for this challenging nonstop job. Since 1992, Eric and Sharon Loori have done it hundreds of times thru their organization "Freedom Guide Dogs."
Eric says he could not have started the organization without the right inspiration and the right partner.
“First off it's my faith in God. He's the one that pointed us to be here, so He keeps me going and keeps me strong. Sometimes it gets a little hairy. The strength I get from my wife, who is my partner, is profound and without her I couldn't have done this,” said Eric Loori, Executive Director & Co-Founder Freedom Guide Dogs.
"Freedom Guide Dogs" has provided close to 300 trained guide dogs to people who need them at no cost since they opened. They have also recently provided guide dogs for soldiers who have returned from the Middle East blinded in service to their country. This non-profit organization is supported by donations and grants, and has dogs working throughout the Northeast as well as Florida.
For more go to www.freedomguidedogs.org.