Vet tech students raise money for Canadian Guide Dogs

Sarah Deliduman wandered around Bruce Pit Dog Park with her dog Archie on Oct. 27 searching for Algonquin College’s vet tech students. The students were supposed to be hosting a fundraiser where dog owners can donate money to the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, and in return the vet tech students would trim their dog’s nails.

Unfortunately, the vet tech students had to reschedule the Bruce Pit Dog Park even at the last minute due to issues with the city, much to the dismay of Deliduman.

Deliduman was looking forward to supporting the charity.

Deliduman has retinitis pigmentosa, a rare eye disease that causes progressive vision loss. Deliduman said this is why fundraisers, such as the one the vet tech students are running, mean so much to her.

“As a person who is going blind, I may rely on this service in the future,” Deliduman said. “I think it’s important to keep these foundations functioning so they are able to provide necessary accessibility services.”

Helping foundations such as the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind is one of the reasons the vet tech students ran this fundraiser.

While the event at Bruce Pit may have run into a planning snag, every year the vet tech students are required to host events for charity as part of a public awareness assignment. This year, the students chose to raise money for the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.

“This project has been happening every fall for 16 years,” said Sylvia Stanton, a professor for the veterinary technician and assistant programs, “and has been a chance for students to bring awareness to the general public with regards to the veterinary technician profession, the vet tech and vet assistant programs at Algonquin College, as well as animals or not-for-profit animal groups in our community.”

The Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind is a non-profit organization that trains Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and a mix of the breeds to become guide dogs. The charity covers all the expenses of training and caring for the dog.

“It costs around $30,000 for a dog and they [the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind] are not government funded and only work off donations and fundraisers,” said Avery Beck, a vet tech student, explaining why the veterinary technician students chose to raise money for the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Eligible owners pay only $1 to receive a guide dog from the charity.

The fundraiser the vet tech students hosted ran through October and was able to raise $1,200. The students were able to raise this money by holding information booths on Algonquin College’s Woodroffe campus, and by hosting events throughout Ottawa.

The information booths were set up to teach the student-body about the charity, including what traits make a good guide dog, such as adaptability, calmness, a desire to please and being food motivated.

The off-campus events included a booth at Metcalfe Fair on Oct. 5 and a nail trimming station, which was originally supposed to be held at Bruce Pit Dog Park on Oct. 27.

At the fair, vet tech students held a free raffle where winners would receive a crocheted stuffed animal, ghost or pumpkin. To raise money for the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, the students would make a bracelet for anyone who donated.

The nail trimming station had to quickly pivot, as the vet tech students were no longer able to hold their event at Bruce Pit Dog Park. Instead, the students stationed themselves on Mill Street to catch the attention of anyone passing with their dog.

Deliduman plans to donate directly to the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind and hopes others who couldn’t make any of the events do the same.

“The fundraiser is super important because funding is needed in order to keep providing the services free of charge to people who need it,” said Deliduman.