Did you know that all services from Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind are free of charge. However, it costs €5m a year to run the charity and €53,000 to breed, train and care for one Guide Dog during its working lifetime.85% of the funding comes from fundraising, corporate partners and gifts in Wills.It takes 2 years to train a dog and a working dog will generally retire around the age of 10. Currently there are, 184 working Guide Dog Partnerships, 213 working Assistance Dog Partnerships.We are happy to provide some puppy in training updates. Voldee has been in Stamullen with Adele Halpin for two months and is settling well. Adele says Voldee attended his first dance show recently and the music and dancers didn’t faze him. He’s showing great signs of confidence. Adel, who is in Cork, is progressing very well in her training as an Assistance Dog and will hopefully be graduating at the end of August of early September.Andy Green of our Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch’s Guide Dog Ollie recently graduated and Andy said that, “He is a joy to have and as Guide Dogs go he is a pleasure to work and has like my previous dogs enhanced my life in the best possible way. It’s great to be out and about with a working dog again and to feel confident in getting around the place again. So if you see us be sure to stop and say hello to the chaos that is Ollie and I.”

Our Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch will be in Bremore Castle Food and Craft Village on Sunday the 4 th September from 10am – 4pm. Make sure to pop over and say hello. We currently have a large collection dog in storage that is looking for a new home with plenty of footfall to get it filled up. Please contact our Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch if you have any ideas. If you would like to volunteer, you can also contact us on Facebook, by email at GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or by mobile on 085 766 3107.