Voices of the Leader Dog Community: Clients

December 23, 2021
Today’s Voices of the Leader Dog Community is a special one! Meet nine of our clients from the past several months and find out more about them in their own words. Sandy S. from Wisconsin with LD Mira Tell me ...
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Melissa is wearing a dark blue polka dot dress and smiling at the camera

Congratulations to Melissa Weisse!

December 21, 2021
Melissa Weisse, Leader Dog's chief philanthropy officer, has been named the President of the Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Detroit Chapter! In her time at Leader Dog, Melissa has raised over $115 million dollars, diversified and grown ...
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Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Brooke Coleman

November 24, 2021
My name is Brooke Coleman and I’m a freshman at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. I’ve been working with my best friend, Leader Dog Sampson, for a year now with our anniversary being on Halloween, but guide dog ...
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A young yellow lab/golden retriever cross sits on a porch in a too-big blue Leader Dog vest. Behind the puppy is a bench with a plush dog in a blue Future Leader Dog bench. To the right is a pink sign with a flower design. It reads: watch me grow.

The Meaning of a Name

November 19, 2021
By Volunteer Puppy Raiser Karen Beatty My first-born grandson, Dawson, was born at 24 weeks 3 days and weighed in at 1lb 11oz. Due to being premature, he developed Retinopathy of Prematurity stage IV (ROP). ROP occurs when blood vessels ...
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Black lab looking to the side in grass

Blind Enough

November 15, 2021
By Outreach Services & Community Engagement Manager Leslie Hoskins After clients in Guide Dog Training have been with their new Leader Dogs for about a week, we interview them to find out about their experience with Leader Dog. In a ...
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Ashley is wearing a Dorothy costume from the Wizard of Oz and smiling while she holds her pyrenean sheepdog, Gryf

How to Have a Spooky Safe Dog Halloween

October 28, 2021
By Guide Dog Mobility Instructor Ashley Nunnelly Spooky season is upon us! Here are a few tips to make your dog’s Halloween mostly full of treats (of the dog-safe variety) and fewer tricks! Keep the human treats far away from ...
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. 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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