GDB does a great job raising and taking care of dogs. As a care provider they take appts for their dogs and the vet team does a great job monitoring the dog's history. Just brought dog in to take care of allergy and itch related issue and picked up monthly heartguard medicine, weighed, nails clipped and got some antibacterial soap and mint toothpaste. We're ready for the weekend read more

See all

How is this not a 5 star place. They raise Gould dog for the blind and give them to people for free! What a great place. read more

Guide Dogs for the Blind - Granduation for 6 dogs. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Rafael, California

See all

I was here for 12 days . This campus is AMAZING!! Marissa, Kim, Lauren (my trainer) and all the staff including the kitchen to house keeping to the nursing staff! Just very hands on and always wanting to help and teach us proper techniques that are great and will last a long time. The rooms are comfy and the snacks are unbelievable. This campus has a great atmosphere and I am glad that they found me a great guide (his name is Radio) to be able yo work together. Him and I have been told we make a great team but I owe it all mostly to him. read more

Guide Dogs for the Blind - Shower - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Rafael, California

See all

As a volunteer puppy raiser for many years, it's hard to express the pure joy and satisfaction of helping to raise and then connect a great guide dog with a visually impaired individual and seeing them graduate together. It is truly life altering for everyone involved! Love these people, forever my family. read more

A very wonderful service organization that is dedicated to doing what their name suggests: providing guide dogs for blind people. Nice facility. We hit it on a day where dogs were being presented to people and the ceremony was impressive. Many people were introduced from the organization, then the people who raised and trained the dogs and, ultimately, the blind people who would receive their guide dog. Very touching as the receivers are now able to live more complete lives courtesy of the guide dogs that are now theirs. The organization trains the dog raisers and then trains the blind recipients on how to work with their dogs. And they follow-up with recepients and dog suppliers giving support as needed. A complete service, laser focused on what they do. Make a point to visit their operation. All their graduations are open to the public and worth your visit. This is a serious organization and is worthy of support. Please look at their web site (https://www.guidedogs.com/) and consider supporting them financially. A very worthy endeavor. read more

I had a great experience here as part of their immersive cane training program. The facilities are phenomenal, and the staff is above and beyond helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. The food was wonderful, and they accommodated any need. I needed cane training, and I'm so glad I was able to participate in this program. Before going, I was fairly certain I was only interested in cane training and not in a potential future guide dog. However, GDB offers a guide dog experience to those in the cane training program, and I was glad to have the opportunity to compare traveling by cane and traveling with a guide dog. I found out guide dogs can be a big help in identifying obstacles at or near head level, which is an issue for me given my pattern of vision loss. So, though I was not entertaining the idea of possibly working with a guide dog at the outset, I became open to and curious about it through this great experience. I learned so much in just 5 days, I'm still stunned. I was provided with a report of my training and specific recommendations for next steps. I received it about a week after the training concluded. It was quite specific to my needs, and nearly two months later I continue to follow up on it. A month after training ended I also had a follow up meeting over the phone, which allowed me to clarify anything I had run into concerning cane travel since returning home. A wonderful experience! I highly recommend the program to those looking to build cane skills while also having an eye to possibly working with a guide dog in the future. Many thanks to all who make this program possible. read more

Over twenty years after I raised a puppy for GDB as a teen, I finally made it to the campus for a visit--along with my sister, husband, kids, and mother-in-law. Regularly scheduled tours run Mondays through Saturdays for groups of up to seven. The tour itself was a little dry but I think it depends a lot on the volunteer docent. The campus is beautiful and immaculate inside and out, and we enjoyed seeing the facilities for both students and dogs. GGB really is a first rate organization making an incredible difference in people's' lives--they are doing good in the world. We're looking forward to returning for another visit when the new puppy training center is open. read more

Guide Dogs for the Blind - Future Guide Dogs on the puppy cam! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Rafael, California

An incredible non-profit organization that has been creating unique partnerships with guide dog/human teams, servicing all of North America....and beyond. So much to appreciate about this organization, and one way to learn more is to visit either one of their campuses and get a full tour, or to visit their website with information an all the different departments. They also have some very rewarding volunteering opportunities on both their San Rafael, CA or Boring, OR campuses, or to become involved in the GDB Puppy Raising Program, with clubs in 8 western states. Each campus also has other volunteering areas, too many to name here. And if you haven't been to one of their graduation ceremonies, you really have to schedule that. Graduations are always open to the public and they have a full schedule on their website: http://www.guidedogs.com/ read more

I'm opening up and showing you deep inside me what's got my heart on my bucket list. Praying to just end up in this area doing just this. It was a big sign to me when I just happened to be driving by doing something else when I ran into their actual location. Not just that, but when my time freed up, they just happened to be guiding tours! Breathtaking! Personally, I love matchmaking and these guys match guide dogs to the right person! For a whole week everyone gets to stay and pair up together. The chefs personally customize every dish to each client's diet during their stay. I don't know how I'm not going to end up with an entire house filled with Labradors God help me. I will return to attend a puppy graduation. They are open and quite a to-do so I've heard. 5 stars This place is not government funded Give these guys 10 stars! read more

See all

Guide dogs for the blind is the best organization ever. They have a lovely staff. Everyone's very kind and welcoming. The dogs there are amazingly trained. They definitely have a great campus full of adorable puppies. read more

Guide Dogs for the Blind - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Rafael, California

See all

Anyone interested in the relationship between (wo)man and dog should find this organization worth exploring. I've seen quite a few guide dogs and their owners around the Bay Area, and it's quite remarkable what the organization, dogs, and owners have managed to accomplish together. There is also a film and book I'd recommend for interested parties to jump start the process: Pick of the Litter (Filmed in San Rafael) Until Tuesday (To the best of my knowledge, not associated with Guide Dogs, but it does feature the owner and his service dog.) Please feel free to email me with questions or concerns. Thank you for your time and consideration. read more

An oasis in San Rafael, California this campus is beautiful! Guide Dogs for the Blind has been providing training and guidance to low vision people for over 50 years this organization is amazing through and through. The organization breeds and trains guide dogs for individuals with vision disabilities. It has depth and character that make this non profit a constant stand out among non profits. I was fortunate enough to volunteer as a puppy raiser for seven years and the experience will live with me forever. Puppy raisers work and train the puppy from a peeing, pooping bundle of energy at 8 weeks and return the dog a confident fearless worker at around 16 months. The sacrifice of both your time and energy in the training process is immense. It's also extremely heart wrenching to place them in a kennel and say goodbye when its time to return them back to GDB for formal schooling. But, the impact that you may have on another humans life is tremendous. I was fortunate enough to have three of my puppies graduate as working guide dogs. The ability to see the puppy that you molded into this confident harness wearing guide yields far more than words here can express. There is so much to appreciate about this organization, and one way to learn more is to visit either one of their campuses and get a full tour, or to visit their website with information an all the different departments. Each campus also has other volunteering areas, too many to name here. http://www.guidedogs.com/ read more

I like walks a lot, but I love helping people!! And at Guide Dogs for the Blind they help you help people. So cool. They provide the best training and lots of companionship throughout the entire process. Seriously, you are never left out in the cold. Which happens sometimes, like when people go on vacation and the "house sitter" just comes over to watch a movie with her boyfriend and totally forgets to let you back in or even fill up your bowl and you end up sleeping under the bushes without any dinner. Anyways, the food at Guide Dogs for the Blind is so good - SO GOOD! Like way better than Purina. But there aren't that many treats, but that's okay because dogs should "only get treats for their most specialest feats otherwise treats wouldn't be special." I learned that at Guide Dogs for the Blind or GDFTB as we call it, cause we're in a hurry a lot of the times with all of the training. We train so hard. And you should know its not always fun. Yea, we totally run a lot and we get to wear sweet red vests, but heeling sucks. Well... at first it's hard, 'cause you just want to run and pull on the leash but do you know what would happen if you did that to a blind person in a cross walk?? Not cool dawg. So its really important to learn how to heel. Its our job. At GDFTB when it comes to training, we're real work horses (that's a little joke we use around here, 'cause obviously they don't make saddles in our size). But yea, we work hard and we play hard - "Coast to coast Japan to Amsterdam, put your paws up for Purina without lamb - When it comes to helping people you know we're the best, see us on the street please respect that vest!" Woof. GDFTB 4life. Out. read more

Great people! What a nice place! Thanks for treating us like family!

Time I was here I was out and about. Then I thought to myself let us stop by, perhaps they could use some volunteets here. This also happens to be the National headquarters of Guide dogs for the blind. So I did wander in and ask about volunteering. They have volunteer orientation classes that one needs to attend first. The classes get really packed. If I had stayed in the area I most likely would have volunteered, but because I was doing a program that sucked and wasn't for me I wasn't involved. One thing that I had to do was go to the gift shop and buy an item. You all will see a picture of this bag. All will like the bag. read more

Guide Dogs for the Blind - Puppy bag - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Rafael, California

I have seen firsthand what a difference Guide Dogs for the Blind has made in the lives of blind and visually impaired people. The bond between the dog and his handler is incredible. Also, the lives of puppy raisers are forever changed by their experiences working as a volunteer and ambassador for this amazing organization. My family is raising our sixth puppy for Guide Dogs, and we can't really imagine our lives without at least one Guide Dog pup in our household! Guide Dogs is a well run organization, the dogs are impeccably cared for whether they become a graduate or not, and their employees are wonderful. Take a tour and see for yourself! read more

Great staff, always competent, friendly, and attentive. Love the cause of this organization. The dogs that come from this organization are clearly whole heartedly loved, respected, and cared for. It is great to see an organization so committed to people. Highly highly recommend volunteering for, working at, or seeking the service provided at this group. read more

Guide Dogs for the Blind - Breeder dog - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Rafael, California

Guide Dogs for the Blind is an awesome non-profit organization that trains guide dogs for people who are visually impaired. All of their funding comes from private donations, and they spend it very wisely. I've been a supporter of theirs for years. If you want to see what a great job they do first hand, visit their San Rafael campus. It is truly inspiring. read more

Wow ! What a place, we went to graduate a friends dog into guiding a blind person named Ralph from Boulder , Colorado. It was so hard to see Roberto go. He was such a good friend and calm black Labrador. Whe he saw us for the first time in 7 months he went wild, and when Guide Dogs are out of their harness , it's play time. He played with my son for a while and it was a good goodbye. We know he is in service and helping someone who needs him badly. What a great experience and what a great facility. they have so many kennels for the puppies. Very nice people, volunteers and staff , puppy raisers included. read more

My connection to GDB is through a co-worker Randy Anderson and his dogs Rocky and now Talbot. Talbot is a very different dog than Rocky, but enjoyed talking to Rocky and now enjoy talking to Talbot. read more

I cannot give any stars. I'm very disappointed. I made a complaint 2 years ago about a guide dog that came from here. I received a call from someone that works here. They came up with all kinds of excuses of why this dog was mistreated, and how visually impaired people are embarrassed to pick up their dog waste. Isn't that part of having a dog for anyone. Now 2 years later this dog is skinny as a rail, not fed, not walked, not worked appropriately, not taken out on a regular basis to relief itself, pooping in an apartment because it is not taken out to go to the bathroom. When it is out the Guide dog Owner doesn't pick up its waste. I have recently said something to Guide Dogs about this matter with no response. No dog should be abused, including guide dogs. I tried to send an email about this dog, and dog owner, but it wouldn't go through. I will go to social media and will pursue this if nothing happens for this dog. Other people have told me they have called this Guide Dog school, about the mistreatment of this guide dog, and nothing happens. This is deplorable. read more