Campus
Explore Our Campus
Since 1939, our 14-acre Rochester Hills, Michigan campus has been the foundation where independence begins. While our programs have expanded over the decades, our campus remains focused on creating a safe, enriching, and welcoming environment for clients, canines, volunteers and staff.
The main campus includes two buildings — the Polk Residence Center and the canine development center — surrounded by thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces. These exterior areas feature accessible practice areas including pedestrian walkways, an audible street crossing and multiple dogs runs that prepare our clients and dogs to navigate any environment with confidence.
Polk Residence Center
The Polk Residence Center provides a warm, supportive space for clients staying on campus for in-person programs. Each private room is designed for both comfort and independence, complete with an individual bathroom, climate control, television, telephone, internet access and a mini refrigerator.
Communal spaces promote relaxation and connection. Whether enjoying a meal in our accessible dining room (where every dish is made on-site, by our skilled culinary professionals, and clients often say – the food is fantastic) or unwinding in the library, exercise room, or music lounge, clients find space to recharge between sessions.
Just outside, clients and dogs enjoy fenced walking areas, designated dog relief zones with pea gravel, off-leash play areas and an outdoor pavilion. The center also houses our administrative offices, orientation and mobility team, and guide dog instructors, supporting everything from philanthropy and communications to client services and volunteer engagement.
Canine Development Center
The canine development center is designed to support every stage of a Leader Dog’s journey. From expert training environments to on-site veterinary care and canine housing, this facility brings together the people, spaces and resources that help shape confident, capable guide dogs.
Breeding Area
While they are on campus, breeding stock dogs live in a separate area to ensure a peaceful environment that supports their health and well-being
Puppy Development Area
Our puppy area can house up to eight litters of future Leader Dogs. The bright, open space features separate day and night areas, low walls for easy supervision, and large glass garage doors opening to a dedicated outdoor play yard — providing the early socialization and stimulation crucial for future guide dog success.
Canine Villages
After spending 12 to 15 months with volunteer puppy raisers, Future Leader Dogs return to campus for formal training. During this phase, they live in open-concept canine villages that encourage regular interaction, enrichment, and play — all critical to their success as working guide dogs.
Veterinary Clinic
Our on-site veterinary clinic provides comprehensive, cutting-edge care to puppies, dogs in training, and our breeding colony. Staffed by full-time veterinarians and licensed technicians, the clinic offers:
- Daily wellness and diagnostic appointments
- Weekly surgical scheduling
- Digital radiography, dental imaging, ultrasound, endoscopy and more
- Specialized ophthalmic equipment for vision health
- Oversight from a board-certified theriogenologist for reproductive care
As part of our client programs, our veterinary team also leads health lectures and conducts hands-on physicals with new handlers, ensuring every Leader Dog team is set up for long-term success.
Gift Shop
Located in the canine development center lobby, the Leader Dog gift shop is open to the public during posted hours and also available online. It offers branded apparel, unique gifts, and items that help spread awareness and support for our mission.
Gift Shop
All profits from the Leader Dog gift shop support our mission. Find your new favorite thing in-store in the canine development center’s lobby or online! The gift shop is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Online orders can be placed anytime, but please allow up to seven business days for your order to ship.
Downtown Training Center
Just one and a half miles from our main campus, our Downtown Rochester training center (located at 323 Walnut Blvd.) offers convenient access to a variety of practice environments for our clients and their instructors.
Built in 1976, this facility serves as the starting point for many real-world route practices. Because our clients live and travel in all types of settings, most program sessions take place off-campus to provide the most relevant experience.
Downtown Rochester offers an ideal mix of residential and urban settings — including several accessible pedestrian signals (APS), giving clients the chance to practice street crossings with assisted safety technology.
Plan Your Visit
Discover how Leader Dogs for the Blind empowers people who are blind or low vision through a one-hour, docent-led tour through the canine development center. You’ll learn about our mission, get an overview of our programs — including guide dog, orientation and mobility, teen O&M, and teen summer camp.
Tour Details
- Weekday tours include access to our on-site gift shop.
- Tours are $5 per person and offered on a first come, first served basis.
Booking Information
For groups larger than 30, please contact us at 248.651.9011 to make arrangements.
Whether you’re visiting as an individual, adult group, or community organization, we look forward to welcoming you!
Tour FAQ
Why do guests need to be at least 10 years old?
The tour includes the area where our dogs in training are housed, and the group needs to be calm and relatively quiet. Also, the tour is more informational than interactive or physical, and the windows into our canine villages are several feet off the ground making it hard for younger children to see inside.
Will I be able to visit where people stay when they’re working with their Leader Dogs?
No. Guests are not allowed to roam our campus or go into the residence facility, so we can maintain privacy for our clients.
Will I be able to pet or play with a dog?
No. The dogs you will see are in training, so we ask that visitors observe without petting or interacting. These training protocols are essential for their development as guide dogs. Additionally, puppies on campus are not fully immunized, so physical contact isn’t permitted for everyone’s safety.
What do I need to do to have my service dog authorized to visit campus?
Please fill out a Proof of Canine Vaccination form on our website. This includes uploading a proof of vaccination and negative fecal test from your veterinarian.
No therapy, emotional support or personal pets are allowed on campus.
How much walking will I do on the tour?
You will not walk far on the tour; however, you will walk and stand intermittently for up to one hour. We have one wheelchair available for guests. If you require one, please check the appropriate box when booking your tour.