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Orangeville woman speaks about the importance of training Dog Guides

September 4, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

An email from Nancy Claridge called for help to raise $20 million to complete the construction of a facility for the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides (LFCDG), a National dog training centre provided free to people with disabilities.

“It costs about $35,000 per dog for all the training and care, from breeding to fostering to training to graduation,” said Claridge in a quickly arranged telephone interview this week.

As one of many people across the country who hosts potential service dogs from when they are about eight weeks old for a year, she understands the importance of this project.

Construction has started; part of the plan is that people come to stay at the facility, which must be fully accessible for disabled people.

She went on to describe the urgency about the fundraising that has now paused construction for the new facility in Oakville, with a $20 million shortfall, where committed funds did not happen due to COVID-19. They already had $60 million.

“We’re hoping to raise $20m,” she said. “Hoping corporations will pick up the shortfall.”

Currently, the LFCDG facility is on Wilson Street in Oakville, and the new building is being built in Oakville. This might seem like a story about another town, but the local focus is that there are a number of people who foster guide dogs in this community.

The dog Claridge has been fostering, Jamie, is about to graduate next month, and Claridge will be among those celebrating their foster dog’s graduation.

“I’m picking Jamie up for his last stay with us,” she said.

Basically, the puppies stay out of the picture after a year. Trainers send them back to the fosters and, after, she related, “He’ll go to Oakville and meet the person with whom he’ll live for as long as his service life.”

Claridge admitted she will be at the ceremony and “I’ll cry my eyes out.”

The year with the foster is to teach the dogs to adapt. Every dog is an individual. If they’re stressed, the dog’s trainer has a home-school environment. The trainers have to monitor each dog. Claridge’s dog Jamie started as an autism dog, but didn’t like being grabbed.

“As foster, we don’t treat them like a pet,” she confirmed. “So they get to their handlers and they adapt quite quickly.”

It all began for Claridge when her friend, who is visually impaired, had a dog from LFCGD.

There is a program for adopting a career change dog that has flunked and been adopted out, like her dog, Lake, which she adopted as her own.

“I saw what ways there are to manage, and I was grateful. I asked, ‘Can I participate in other ways?’ And began with a puppy as a foster,” Claridge explained.

Lake is a Yellow Labrador, and Trek is one of the Black Labs. The training is primarily with labs and sometimes poodles in cases where allergies are a problem.

By adopting Lake, he became an assistant puppy raiser who teaches the puppies how to act; a puppy snuggles with the dog. Puppies have had issues with other dogs, but they soon get in line.

As a child, there was always a dog in the Claridge home, and Nancy Claridge grew up with a passion for them.

To clarify, it’s different when you have a foster, taking them into grocery stores.

She outlined how the system works, “Volunteer fostering, dog guides provide food and vet care. You provide home and experiences. There are obligations to take them to the dog guides vet and seeing that they are appropriate and should go on to school,” admitting “It’s a lot of time and heartache [saying good-bye].”

It should also be said that Pet Valu Canada donates high-quality dog food to the foundation for all its needs.

You apply to become a foster, and there are manuals and online courses. A puppy representative will come and meet with the dogs.

She explained, “We’re not the trainer. We teach basic manners so that it not too hard to train them when they go off to school.”

Claridge started in 2022 with a seven-week-old puppy, sitting with a Goldie; then, in June 2022, she got Trek.

The $35,000 average cost to fully train a dog guide “includes the cost of staff – vets, trainers, puppy reps, puppy care, food, medicines, travel to go to clients or bring clients in for training, etc.”

All dogs in a litter get the same letter at the beginning of their names.

Along with her time with her canines, Claridge also is president of the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival, and sits on boards for other organizations. She is a partner at the law firm, Carters Professional Corporation, at 211 Broadway.

“Most of my clients hear about the dogs and sometimes they are in meetings,” she said.

As to the new facility in Oakville, it supports the puppy barn in Breslau near Guelph, and all the programs would have to shut down without the necessary funding, which would be a significant loss.

The costs are increased because this is a fully accessible building. This is a fundamental piece of financing. There is no government support, so appeals are made to corporate sponsors, but there was a fall back from COVID-19, and costs rising.

Claridge assures potential donors that there has been significant building done so far, and as she confirms, “If I say the money is for the new building, – that’s what the money is for.”

When asked why the guide dogs are important to her, Claridge was clear: “Over the years of fostering, I’ve been able to see the impact these dogs have had. People can relax with an autism child and know the dogs will watch over the child. We constantly get feedback, the feedback of people who have the dogs. Loving them and having the chance to see what good they do is very rewarding.

“Career change dogs make good pets as well,” she added.

Sweetly, Claridge remarked, “Last time I had Jamie home, I took all four dogs, actually 350 pounds of dogs and I had no problems. They are really well behaved.”

To register or to donate, visit: www.walkfordogguides.com, call 1-800-768-3030, or email walk@dogguides.co.

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