The Seeing Dogs Alliance – sponsor a dog

Aim: We are fundraising to combat the current shortage of seeing dogs and the urgent need of thousands of visually impaired people across the UK.

Meet Sky, the aim of this fundraising project is to cover the cost of training Sky to become a Seeing Dog for a visually impaired person. The pressure on funding is a major factor in the provision of dogs. Training a dog for someone is a two-year process and it costs approximately £20,000. The Seeing Dogs Alliance has it down to an art, but a lack of funding is all that stops us meeting the growing need for dogs.

More than two million people are estimated to be living with sight loss in the UK, and every day 250 people start to lose their sight. This is equivalent to one person every six minutes. Yet, the current shortages of dogs and dog trainers are leaving blind people waiting for up to two years for a fully trained guide dog to enter service; leaving thousands without the independence, confidence, and companionship a seeing dog brings. 

So, we are fundraising to increase the number of dogs we are able to train and to reduce the waiting list for trained seeing dogs.

In the UK the total number of dogs trained to guide visually impaired people is falling each year and the waiting time is typically around two years for a new or replacement dog. We are dedicated to providing reliable, well-trained dogs in addition to other guide dog charities to increase the numbers of dogs available to those who need them most.

Don’t just take our word for it… here’s what some of our clients have said about the impact their seeing dog has on their lives

“In the months after [my last seeing dog] Volley, when I didn’t have a dog, it really affected me. People at work could tell and I felt lost. It does hit your confidence, which makes your work suffer. I feel very lucky to have found Seeing Dogs Alliance and very lucky to be partnered with Midas – even if he does get blond hair everywhere!” – Andrea

“[When her last dog retired unexpectedly through ill health] It meant I couldn’t go out alone for a walk,” she explains. “I’ve got my husband, Chris, and obviously we’d still do all sorts of things together, but not having that sense of freedom takes something from your soul. Having a dog opens up the world. With a cane you really have to concentrate and so exist almost in a little tunnel. With a dog, I feel like I experience the world – I hear the birds, the baby crying in a pushchair on the other side of the street, the planes overhead. You’re living life, and I was free because I had lots of wonderful dogs to help me through. Being able to do things on your own is liberating. Having a dog is life enhancing – it gives you your smile back.” – Dawn