. On the left is a black Labrador retriever lying down, looking forward and wearing a red bow on its collar with a sign that says "You're My Person" with hearts on it in front of the dog.

Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Amy Schupska

October 21, 2021
Hi! My name is Amy Schupska. My husband of 18 years, Andy, and I have raised 14 Leader Dog puppies. We live in Michigan near Lansing. We are currently raising Monroe, an 8-month-old male lab and golden retriever mix. I ...
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A young woman with brown, French-braided hair and glasses sitting on a short stone wall with her arm around a yellow Labrador retriever sitting next to her. The dog is leaning heavily into the woman’s side. There is a statue of a Lion wearing a crown leaning on a large letter “K” behind them. There is a tall concreate and mirror building in the far background.

Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Kayla

September 23, 2021
My name is Kayla. I have Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), so I do not have much peripheral vision (side vision). I was diagnosed at age 14. It took me walking into a parking meter in broad daylight for my family to ...
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Mark Mansell stands in the canine center lobby on Leader Dog's campus. He is smiling and holding a black lab Leader Dog puppy. His wife, Debbie, is smiling and looking at the puppy

Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Mark Mansell

August 26, 2021
Part 1: Introduction Hello, I am Lion Mark Mansell. It has been nearly a decade since a crazy idea to ride a bicycle solo across America in support of Leader Dogs for the Blind began to form. This was the ...
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Ethan Wilson outdoors in a wintery environment

Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Ethan Wilson

July 22, 2021
This month’s community member for Voices of the Leader Dog Community is Ethan Wilson. Ethan was an intern in our communications and marketing department this summer. We did our best to give Ethan a variety of experiences – both in ...
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Group of young people on video conferencing platform with several Leader Dog personnel

Virtual Summer Experience Camp 2021

July 13, 2021
The Leader Dog team hosted a second Virtual Summer Experience Camp this year for 22 campers from across the U.S. and Canada. By taking feedback from last year’s campers and lessons learned throughout the pandemic, the team at Leader Dogs ...
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Ashley, smiling, hugs a black dog whose head is leaning against her.

Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Ashley Nunnelly

June 17, 2021
Hi, I’m Ashley Nunnelly, a guide dog mobility instructor at Leader Dog. I have been involved in the service dog industry for over 10 years. I have worked with countless guide dog clients. I have talked with clients with PTSD, ...
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Vijay sits in a living room area with a German shepherd puppy in a Future Leader Dog bandana

Best Job in the World

June 1, 2021
By Vijay Joshi, puppy development coordinator During the last seven years, I noted a pattern of repetitiveness. I did not recognize it at first but when I did, I thought I was seeing something that wasn’t there. Perhaps it’s just ...
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Four men in a line each with a dog (one golden retriever, one black and two yellow Labrador retrievers) on a leash held in their land hand. Each dog is standing with all four paws on a colored training step on the left side of each man.

Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Troy – Part 4

May 20, 2021
Part 10: Kiki Comes Home Too! Another unexpected blessing came our way in the form of a little black Lab named Kiki! A couple weeks after we picked up our FLD, we were offered to adopt the last puppy I ...
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Four men in a line each with a dog (one golden retriever, one black and two yellow Labrador retrievers) on a leash held in their land hand. Each dog is standing with all four paws on a colored training step on the left side of each man.

Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Troy – Part 3

May 7, 2021
Part 7: More Prison Puppies Benefits The benefits of prison puppy raising are huge. Beginning with hands-on instruction from my team members, I started learning about the science of behavior. I observed the handlers who were getting amazing results and ...
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A young woman wearing a yellow t-shirt with a blue Leader Dog logo on it stands looking into the camera. She is outside the brick canine development center on Leader Dog's campus. She is holding a young black lab puppy and wearing a blue surgical mask.

Amid Coronavirus, One Year Later

April 28, 2021
A year ago, the Leader Dog campus had radically transformed in just one week. Our classes—canceled. Tours and events were the same. Our team members and volunteers mostly disappeared from campus, faced with the sudden reality that we didn’t know ...
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