Towns annual 5km Purina Walk for Dog Guides scheduled for May 27

FERGUS

The annual Purina Walk for Dog Guides will be held here on May 27.

Proceeds from the 5km walk help provide dog guides to local people with disabilities, which officials say can help them gain greater independence, safety and mobility.

The Purina Walk for Dog Guides is a national event that is held in more than 250 communities across Canada.  

The Fergus walk will take place at Forfar ball park, with registration opening at 12pm and the walk starting at 1pm.  

There is no registration fee and 100% of the funds raised will go towards raising, training and placing dog guides at no cost to those in need.

For more information, to register for the walk or to donate, visit www.purinawalkfordogguides.com.

Background

Since 1983, Lions Foundation of Canada has provided specially-trained dog guides to people of all ages from coast to coast.

Each dog guide costs approximately $20,000 to raise and train, yet they are provided at no cost to qualified applicants.

The Lions Foundation dog guide program does not receive any government funding and relies on the support of fundraising events and donations from service clubs, corporations, foundations and individuals across the country.

The foundation trains five different types of dog guides:

- vision, for people who are blind or visually impaired;

- hearing ear dog guides;

- special skills dog guides, for people with a medical or physical disability;

- seizure response dog guides, for people with epilepsy; and

- autism assistance dog guides, for children with autism spectrum disorder.

April 27, 2012