Prior to the pandemic, several affiliates of Guide Dog Users Inc—GDUI used to organize mid-Winter weekends called Top Dogs. The theme of the last weekend was Thank You. This session is called Thank You, Patriots. In Part 1, we hear how instrumental veterans from World War 2 were in the establishment of both The Seeing Eye and the Guide Dog Foundation.

February is Pet Dental Health Awareness Month. we’re going to hear excerpts from a webinar, sponsored by the Animal Medical Centre of New York, presented by Dr. Jordan Ford, who will be talking to us about parodontal disease in pets. It’s a subject that should be of particular interest to those of us with guide, hearing, and service dogs.

Welcome to a half-hour of seasonal songs, stories, and poetry about the guide, hearing, and service dogs we love.

Have you ever wondered how training is carried out at guide dog training centres around the world? During the July, 2021 convention of Guide Dog Users Inc., GDUI, attendees were treated to a panel discussion called Global Affairs. Panelists included Diane Bergeron from CNIB Guide Dogs in Canada, David Loughlin from Leader Dogs, and Luca Frank from The Seeing Eye, and longtime representative from the International Guide Dog Federation__IGDF. This is a half-hour of highlights from this discussion.

Canoeing and snowshoeing, fishing and ice fishing … Lawrence Gunther, Canada’s only blind conservationist, has done it and continues to do it with his guide dog.  He tells us about some of his adventures, and points us to podcasts videos, and blogs about how he and his guide dog continue to explore Canada.

The last presentation of this past summer’s first-ever virtual GDUI convention was given by Katie Maertens, a nationally certified pet massage therapist.  She devoted the last part of her presentation to answering questions about how to massage your assistance dogs.

First, I chat with Sharon Morton from Gravenhurst, Ontario and Kim Marsden from Barrie Ontario about Guide Dog Users of Canada’s first-ever virtual annual general meeting.  On the same call, I also speak with Kim Bannatyne from Winnipeg, Manitoba about GDUC’s new on-line merchandise store, and the tea-shirts that she co-designed.

We speak first with Heather Walkus, co-founder of The Coalition of People Who Use Guide and Service Dogs in Canada. Next, we hear an article about the re-opening of a museum about the dog.

As well as music and poetry about dogs and the festive season, we feature an article about how to discourage dogs from eating their feces.