BC & Alberta Guide Dogs open first-of-its-kind facility in Delta

Dog takes a break at the opening of a new BC & Alberta Guide Dogs facility in Delta, B.C.

BC & Alberta Guide Dogs marked a major milestone on Friday, officially opening the doors to a new breeding and training facility in Delta.

The 10,000-square-foot centre is the first of its kind in Western Canada.

It includes specialized areas that are designed to support the dogs through every stage of development, including a puppy neonatal unit, training space and enrichment areas.

“The foundation of those programs is a solid breeding program,” CEO Bill Thornton told CTV News. “And now we have an absolutely magnificent canine reproduction laboratory.”

The charity was founded in 1996, when it began professionally training dogs for people who are blind or have low vision.

Over the last 30 years, it has expanded to serve children with autism and veterans and first responders with operational stress injuries.

Each dog takes about two years to train and is provided at no cost to the recipient.

“We’re enabling people to get out and fully function within our society,” Thornton said.

“Look at people with a view of what their ability is and not what their disability is, that’s the key.”