Guide Dogs for the Blind in Wales

8th^h September 2019

Guide Dogs for the Blind in Wales

Sixteen members of Llandudno Rotary heard a talk on 3^rd September from Mark and Natalie Jones about the work of Guide Dogs for the Blind - Cymru

Mark was speaking from the perspective of the organisation, whilst his wife Natalie spoke from the point of view of a user of the service – Natalie has been virtually blind since birth and her guide dog Sidney – who also attended – has been her lifeline

Mark told us that guide dogs were usually black Labradors (like Sidney), Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds or – more recently, Labradoodles

The lifetime cost of a guide dog, from birth to retirement, is around £55,000. This covers the breeding and the training for the first two years - from birth to graduation - as well as supporting the working partnership.

Natalie made the point that Sidney had transformed her life from one of largely isolation to a situation where she was able to have a full social life and is about to take up employment

Chris Drew moved the vote of thanks to Mark, Natalie and Sidney, on behalf of the Club