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An Investment with Impact

To see a blind child walk for the first time with a guide dog is to see a new beginning.

A Mira guide dog allows a blind child to have access to a whole new world of independence, responsibility and self-confidence.  The bond between the child and the guide dog provides a unique degree of support and encouragement that allows the child to be more active in the world we all share.

Receiving a guide dog at an early age enables the child to develop a sense of responsibility, engage with peers more easily, travel more independently, and effectively work together during these formative teen age years.  The guide dog enables the child to have a sense of physical and psychological ease while still within the borders of the family and before venturing into the world of college, training and or work.

The working life of our Mira guide dogs is approximately eight to ten years. Factoring in the cost of the dog, the evaluation of the readiness of the child, training for the dog and for the child, and the follow up by Mira spreads the initial cost of this to approximately $7,500 for each of the guide dog’s working years. This $7,500 is much less than it would cost for a human assistant over that time.

It is our hope to bring together as many of these exceptionally trained dogs and children as possible. Our children are intelligent, funny, talented and determined. They have valuable gifts to add to the world in which we all live. Help us to help them become more self-confident, more independent, and more mobile by contributing to our guide dog program.