To continue fulfilling the urgent need for guide dogs, a network of volunteers and sponsors is critical. Any assistance, be it time, money, or services, is both needed and appreciated. Won't you join us in this most exciting and rewarding endeavor--providing "guiding eyes" for the blind?!
The raisers perform an essential service; without raisers there would be no guide dogs. There is excellent support and guidance for people who have never raised dogs before. Guiding Eyes provides classes, a manual, videos and evaluation meetings to help you do it right. Puppy raisers can be families, single people, can own other pets or have no pets, and need not be experienced. Vet expenses for the puppy will be completely covered. See Puppy Raising for more information.
![[Young German Shepherd laying on a deck]](images/Unused%20Images/gsdpup.jpg)
Puppy Sitters are worth their weight in gold! A puppy sitter is an individual or family that watches a puppy when a raiser is out of town. Sitters receive excellent support from both the raiser and the Guiding Eyes team. Puppy sitters can be families, single people, can own other pets or have no pets, and need not be experienced.
While the puppy's veterinary services are donated by area vets, other sponsors are needed to help defray the cost of food and equipment. You can make a one-time donation or sponsor a puppy for the 12 to 20 months that it lives with a raiser. Food or equipment sponsors can be families, individuals, or businesses.
Our puppy raising program is supported totally by contributions. Neither Guiding Eyes nor our local program receives any government subsidies. Checks should be made out to "Guiding Eyes for the Blind / MDPRP" and sent to:
GEB Montgomery Region
4 Turnham Court
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Interested in helping? If so, please e-mail Jody McCain.
If you would like to get started immediately, please e-mail Margie Coccodrilli.
If you live outside our region, there are additional ways you can help the national Guiding Eyes organization.