The Meaning of a Name
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 ...
Continue Reading This Article Blind Enough
By Outreach Services & Community Engagement Manager Leslie Hoskins After clients in our Guide Dog program have been with their new Leader Dogs for about a week, we interview them to find out about their experience in the program. In ...
Continue Reading This Article Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Amy Schupska
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 ...
Continue Reading This Article Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Kayla
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 ...
Continue Reading This Article Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Mark Mansell
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 ...
Continue Reading This Article Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Ethan Wilson
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 ...
Continue Reading This Article Virtual Summer Experience Camp 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 ...
Continue Reading This Article Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Ashley Nunnelly
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, ...
Continue Reading This Article Best Job in the World
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 ...
Continue Reading This Article Voice of the Leader Dog Community: Troy – Part 4
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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