What is The Seeing Eye Organization?
Founded in 1996, The Seeing Eye Organization is a registered charity based in Toronto that provides assistance to Canadians who are blind or visually impaired, specifically through the procurement of guide dogs to enhance their ability to work and travel.
Why The Seeing Eye?
The Seeing Eye Organization is partnered with The Seeing Eye, the world’s oldest existing guide dog school. The Seeing Eye is headquartered in Morris Township, New Jersey, and has graduates throughout North America. The Seeing Eye was founded in 1929 and began serving Canadians 10 years later.
The Seeing Eye provides round-trip transportation from all provinces in Canada to its campus in Morris Township, New Jersey, where students live on campus in individual rooms with their own full-sized bathrooms, are served three meals a day in a dining hall with other students and staff, and learn how to work with and care for these amazing dogs.
When they graduate from the program, they own their dogs. And The Seeing Eye provides follow-up support for the lifetime of the partnership.
Want to help Canadians who are blind achieve greater independence? Make a gift to support more life-changing partnerships today.
The World’s Best Guide Dogs
Get a taste of our guide dog training in action — keep scrolling for pictures of our puppies and guide dogs.
The Seeing Eye Guide Dog Training
Did you know that only guide dogs trained by The Seeing Eye in New Jersey can be called Seeing Eye® dogs? It’s true. That’s because The Seeing Eye breeds, raises, and trains these exceptional dogs — German shepherds, golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, and Labrador/golden retriever crosses — to become special partners The Seeing Eye graduate works with every day.
It all begins at The Seeing Eye’s state-of-the-art breeding facility, located a few miles away from the main campus. Here, the newborn puppies and the breeding dogs are monitored round the clock by staff, including veterinarians and volunteers.
From birth, these puppies are prepared for their destinies as Seeing Eye dogs. They are exposed to different sights, sounds, and surfaces to prepare them for whatever adventures lie ahead. They are also lovingly cared for by the staff and volunteers because love — not punishment or food rewards — is the foundation of The Seeing Eye’s philosophy of dog training.
At seven weeks, the puppies are delivered to the homes of volunteer puppy raisers, who foster the puppies until they are between 13 months and 16 months of age. Then the puppies return to The Seeing Eye to begin their formal training to be Seeing Eye dogs.
Governance
The Board of Directors
*Graduates of the Seeing Eye Organization in Canada.
Karon C. Bales
Chair
D. Murray MacKenzie
Secretary & Treasurer
Michelle McQuigge*
Director
Cayley Panov
Director
Yvonne Peters*
Director
Officers
Karon C. Bales
Chair
Margaret E.L. “Peggi” Howard, D.Litt.
Vice Chair
D. Murray MacKenzie
Secretary & Treasurer
James Hands
Assistant Treasurer
David McDermott
Assistant Secretary
Change Someone’s Life
Help Canadians who are blind or visually impaired extend their independence with a gift to The Seeing Eye Organization. Your donation is tax-deductible — charity registration number is 891008690 RR0001.
