Facts about Guide Dogs
Tuesday, 02, Dec 2008 04:45
The big picture
We have been providing blind and partially-sighted people with the freedom and independence a guide dog gives for nearly 75 years.
We are a world leader in breeding and training guide dogs.
Guide Dogs runs campaigns to raise public awareness of the importance of eye health. Visit www.healthyeyes.org.uk for more information.
We are one of the largest funders of ophthalmic research in the country.
Guide Dogs campaigns for the rights of the blind and partially-sighted community, particularly on mobility and access issues.
We employ over 800 professional staff across the UK.
We deliver our services through 29 district teams and 4 Dog Supply Units.
The charity is supported by an army of volunteers, including brood-stock holders, puppy walkers, dog boarders and thousands of local fundraisers.
The guide dog service
At any one time we support about 5,000 guide dog partnerships in the UK.
Every year we breed over 1,000 guide dog puppies.
It costs around £10 per day to breed, train and care for each guide dog.
The working life of a guide dog is about seven years and many guide dog owners have several dogs during their lifetime.
The cost of a guide dog to its new owner is a nominal 50p, to ensure no-one is prevented from having one by lack of funds.
We place and support retired dogs with voluntary “adopters”.
We make a lifetime commitment to provide every guide dog owner with a guide dog for as long as they need one.
Dogs unsuitable for guiding are often found alternative careers with Hearing Dogs, Dogs for the Disabled or the police.
We constantly review our breeding programme to ensure we produce the best dogs for the job, using the best traits from different breeds.
Other things we do
We are experts in the training of rehabilitation staff working with blind and partially-sighted people.
We provide contracted mobility services to many local authorities.
We invest extensively in research into dog health and well-being.
We fund major research projects looking into the prevention and cure of eye disease.
Where our money comes from
Guide Dogs requires over £40 million a year to continue its work.
The guide dog service runs entirely on voluntary donations which are generated through a wide range of fundraising activities:
A network of local branches raising money in the local communities
Regular donor mailings
National raffles
Social events
Shades for a Day
Corporate support
Legacies and in memoriam gifts
Challenge events
The Guide Dogs Sponsor a Puppy scheme
Where we are located
Guide Dogs' Head Office is located in Reading. The full contact details are:
Guide Dogs
Hillfields
Burghfield Common
Reading RG7 3YG
England
Tel: 0118 983 5555
Fax: 0118 983 5433
Email: guidedogs@guidedogs.org.uk
We deliver our services through 29 district teams and four dog training centres across the UK. You can locate your local team in the near you section of our website.
Membership
Guide Dogs is a membership Association and by becoming a member of Guide Dogs you will be helping us to achieve our aims. You will have a stake in the organisation and a say in what we do. Find out more in our membership area.