Maggie, a basset hound and mastiff mix, enjoyed her bath at the Widdifield Lions Club Annual Dog Wash to raise money this weekend to train and match dog guides for people in need of assistance.
See: Specially trained Dog Guides give people a new lease on life
“I was driving by and happened to see the sign and I thought I would take her for a walk and get her washed”, laughed owner Judy Carriere.
“And it’s a perfect cause. It’s all about dogs helping people.”
Caitland Pinch brought her basset hound for a good scrubbing.
“This charity dog wash is for a good cause, and we like to bring our dog out to community events to offer our support.”
Tyrone, a shepherd and golden retriever mix, thoroughly enjoyed the hands on experience.
“I thought this would be a great opportunity to get him cleaned up a little bit, and it’s for a good cause. He looks like he’s enjoying it, so that’s great, and he’s going to smell wonderful,” laughed owner Alex McDermid.
Steve the dog took a little convincing, but his owner was glad they were part of the event.
“It’s nice to be able to support local organizations in the community that are doing work on behalf of those good causes. Dog guides play an important role. Not all our dogs are cut out for it, but for those that are, it's nice to be a part of it in a little way,” said Katrina Connolly.
The fundraiser follows on the heels of last weekends dog walk which raised just over $9,000. The hope is by combining the walk with Sunday’s wash and barbecue, the campaign will reach its $10,000 goal.
The cost to raise and match a dog guide is $25,000. It takes about a year to train the animal, and the potential owner must commit to a few weeks of training with the dog in Oakville. Increasingly, more people in North Bay are relying on dog guides to provide their quality of life.
“A lot of the money comes from what head office (Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guide head office and national training school is located in Oakville) and what we can raise as well. I’ve been noticing that locally, we get about one dog a year with our $10,000, so I think it is important to help out,” said organizer Melanie Pigeau of the Widdifield Lions Club.
“The other thing is, there’s long waiting lists as well because dogs like autism awareness dog guides are harder to train, so there’s fewer of them. Primarily the dog guides are canine vision, or hearing ear.”
For a minimum $5 donation, the dogs left with a bandana, a homemade treat, and a clean coat.
