We were first introduced to Leader Dogs for the Blind (LDB) during the summer of 2005 while walking our Labrador retriever, Alta. Someone hosting a LDB breeding stock dog stopped us and asked if our Alta was a career changed Leader Dog. A few weeks later, we saw a cute 10-week-old black Labrador puppy winding its way down our road. The people walking him mentioned to us that they were raising the puppy for Leader Dog. This really sparked our interest. It was our initial love of Labradors that led us to new friends and a lifelong involvement with this fantastic organization.
The first puppy we raised, Aspen, graduated successfully and went to work with someone in Taiwan. Cortina, our third dog, was paired with a client who is deaf and blind. Currently we are raising our ninth puppy and volunteer as puppy counselors. So far, all our experiences with LDB have been very rewarding.
We decided to give more than just our time to Leader Dog. So, when we were setting up our trusts, it was an effortless decision to include Leader Dog in our estate plans. Hopefully, it will be many years before Leader Dog receives anything from our estate; so, until then, we will continue to give on a yearly basis.
Please contact Lora Cabarios, director of national personal giving, at 248.650.7109 to learn about including Leader Dog in your estate plans.
