Walks across Canada raise money for those in need of service dogs

A walk was held in Halifax Sunday to raise money for the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides program.

Walks were held across the country over the weekend to raise money for the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides program, with one taking place in Halifax.

Hosted by Pet Valu on Quinpool Road, the event on Sunday saw a handful of dog owners bring their furry friends for a stroll in an effort to raise money for the foundation’s guide dog school in Oakville, Ont.

“Honestly, just bringing the community together for a cause such as the dog guides, Lions Foundation, is so amazing,” said Bridget Landry, manager of Pet Valu.

“Dog guides provide services all across the country. We’ve got actually 66 teams just in Atlantic Canada of people and their guide dogs, which is super, super awesome.”

The school helps train service dogs for people who need support with hearing, vision, diabetic alerts, autism assistance, and more.

“The demand is very high. The rate of approved recipients far outweighs the number of applications that we receive, but, whenever possible, we ensure that those people receive the appropriate guide dogs that they need for their purpose,” said Clyde Paul, president of the Armdale Fairview Rockingham Lions Club.

Events like the one on Sunday help the foundation cover the cost of breeding and training the service dogs and match them with people in need free of charge. The cost to breed and train just one dog is approximately $35,000.

Sunday’s event in Halifax helped raise more than $1,500 for the foundation.

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