Walk for Dog Guides needs your support

Need for a service dogs on the rise, annual walk raises much needed funds for the Lions Foundation of Canada’s Dog Guide program

By Casandra Turnbull

The Lions Foundation of Canada’s Walk for Dog Guides is quickly approaching. Support for the program is greater than ever not only because of an increase in people requiring the service, but also due to the back log created by the pandemic.

Lions Clubs across the country host their own fundraisers to help the Foundation fulfill its mission of empowering Canadians with disabilities to navigate their world with confidence and independence, at no cost to them The national walk date is typically the last Sunday of May. The 2021/2022walk raised $1,017,626 country wide. Locally, the Paris walk generated $3,730

Hoping to exceed that figure, the Lions Club of Paris is actively promoting their upcoming fundraising walk, scheduled for Sunday June 4 at 1 pm, beginning at Lions Park

There’s no better person to lead the local fundraising initiative than a Lions Club volunteer who’s utilized the service for the past 17 years

Phil Raney, a Brantford resident but Paris Lions Club member, is the face behind the local campaign. He joined the local club 14 years ago on an initial invitation to speak at the meeting about the Dog Guide program, but he left the meeting as a fullfledged volunteer, he recalls. For the last decade or so, he’s spearheaded the walk, whole heartedly supported by his Lions Club peers and he spends a considerable amount of time promoting and organizing it At a recent Lions Club meeting the club honoured Raney with the Lions Foundation Fellowship Award for all his efforts.

Raney’s personal campaign goal this year is to fundraiser $2,000 and he’s well on his way already over the halfway mark with a few weeks left in the campaign. Continued on page 15

“Dog Guides is not funded by the government at all,” Raney explains. “So, the money goes into training the dogs and assisting foster families (through the training process),” said Raney. The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guide program is operated out of its headquarters in Oakville, Ontario It’s the largest school of its kind operating in Canada with seven specialized training programs: Canine Vision, Hearing, Service, Seizure Response, Autism Assistance, Diabetic Alert and Facility Support.

Over 3,000 dogs have graduated since the program started in 1985. Fundraising is underway to help with the construction of a new facility which is required to keep up with the growing demand for the service. The new facility should open by 2025. Raney received his first dog guide over 17 years ago Raney is medically diagnosed as paraplegic after an accident at home 26 years ago left him in a wheelchair with limited mobility of his lower body At the time of the accident, the Dog Guide program was not a common service. The program was available but more so for people who were vision impaired.

It was during a chance encounter at the mall with his daughter Katrina that he found out more about the Dog Guide program and quickly started to realize the benefits a dog guide could provide. After his family pet passed away of old age, Raney decided he would apply to the Dog Guide program and within three months of his application he was approved and was paired with Service Dog Nixon

“It’s amazing what they take from interviews with you in order to pair you with a dog that suits your needs. It’s a very interesting process,” said Raney. During 12 dedicated years of service Nixon helped Raney with day-to-day tasks and if an emergency arose he know just what to do to get help. Nixon retired from service after 12 years and then Raney adopted him so he could live out his remaining years with the family he grew to love. After Nixon passed away, within three weeks Raney was paired with his current Dog Guide, Rutger.

Continued on page 16

The Lions International Foundation of Canada Dog Guides made a presentation at a recent Lions Club of Paris meeting, where Mike and Mercedes Yarek donated $5,000 to the local campaign on behalf of Mike Yarek Dodge Chrysler Ltd in Paris. Pictured to the left are several Dog Guide families reuniting at the Paris Maple Syrup Festival last month. (Photo to left by Rubyyy Jones)

“He closes and opens doors, he can go to the fridge for water, he takes laundry out of the dryer. He’s trained to bark for help if I’ve fallen out of my chair or out of bed,” said Raney of how Rutger makes his life easier and gives him peace of mind knowing there’s always help available, even if no person is around

“He goes everywhere I go, he even travels on planes. It’s pretty amazing what these dogs do,” said Raney. It costs approximately $35,000 to fully train a dog guide from birth until deployment to their new family. Each year, over 200 dog guides graduate from the Oakville facility and go on to service individuals who require their attention and that’s why walks like the Walk for Dog Guides, sponsored by Pet Valu, are so crucial to the success of this program The value (and love) individuals receive from their dog guide is immeasurable. The national fundraising goal for this year’s campaign is $1.4 million. If you’d like to get involved, Raney encourages you to join the Lions

Club of Paris for their walk on Sunday, June 4. Registration for participants takes place at 1 pm at Lions Park and the walk starts at 1:30 pm. There’s no fee to register but participants can collect donations/pledges to hand in before the walk. Thanks in part to national sponsors, there are fundraising incentives and prize draws for eligible participants. If you meet certain fundraising thresholds: $150, $500, $1,000 and $1,500 you could be eligible for prizes.

The walk is approximately one kilometre long, designed strategically to ensure all people of all ages and abilities can participate. It will weave in and out of the streets downtown Paris

Even if you haven’t fundraised, but enjoy a stroll on a nice day, Raney invites you to join in. The more people the merrier and the greater the visibility for the cause, he said.

If you’d like to support Phil Raney and Rutger you can make an online donation to his campaign.