By Ryen Veldhuis
Meet Zeke.
Zeke is Melanie Pigeau’s four-month-old Red Doberman pup and this was his second bath. He may not like them yet, but he was the first of many dogs getting a wash—for a good cause.
Sunday afternoon was a little windy and chilly, but it didn’t stop North Bay dog-owners from coming out and helping raise money for community members in need of dog guides.
Big or small, fussy or fine, dogs of all breeds got a nice cleaning at the Northern Occasions parking lot on Lakeshore Dr.
“It’s really great to see what dog guides do in North Bay,” Pigeau said, noting the importance of these fundraisers. For the last five years she’s been organizing both the Purina Walk for Dog Guides—which took place last weekend with overwhelming success—and the Dog Guide Dog Wash, all in efforts to help applicants to The Lions Foundation of Canada’s Dog Guides.
A real dog-lover, Pigeau said what started as something to do with the animals she loved evolved into wanting to make a real difference in the community. Together with her volunteers—including coworkers from the Blue Sky Animal Hospital, they lathered and rinsed dogs by the dozen.
“We have people in town on the waiting list who could really use the help,” she said, but the process of filling those needs is costly, which is why she is glad to see the community really step up over the past couple years. “Each year we’ve raised more and more money through events like this and the walk.”
Last year, over $6,000 were raised through both events and this year that number has increased to over $8,000. She noted this event was on a smaller scale, but was still important.
“It might not raise as much, but it’s a lot of fun for everyone one involved,” she said. “And every bit raised helps.”
However, Pigeau said providing dog guides is costly, with approximately $25,000 needed to raise, train and, place the dog in service.
“They go through a fostering program when they are puppies and then they go back for in-depth training to see which guide field they’d be best suited for and then they are matched with an owner.”
The types of dogs guides trained are: Canine Vision, Hearing Ear, Autism Assistance, Service, Seizure Response and Diabetic Alert Dog Guides.
