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The Dog Blog. All the news that’s fit to paw print.

A yellow lab in a black guide dog harness sits in the sand at the beach, the ocean visible in the distance.

Summer Heat and Your Dog

6 Ways to Keep Your Dog Safe in the Summer Heat How Do Heat and Humidity Affect Dogs? Summer is here! As the temperatures rise, it is important to monitor your dog’s health and behavior. Take time to think about your dog’s safety. Sunshine, warmth, and fun times with furry friends are all great. But...

A yellow lab guide dog in a black leather guide dog harness looks off into the distance as a hand touches her on the shoulder right above the harness.

Respect the Harness: Guide Dog Etiquette

Top 12 Tips for Proper Guide Dog Etiquette When navigating with a guide dog, a person with a visual impairment relies on the dog to avoid obstacles, stop for curbs and crossings, find objects such as doors, exits, and stairs, and generally, help the person arrive safely to their destination. A working dog is alert...

Lessons from my Service Dog, Blue

After four years together with Blue, I still marvel at our relationship. It is too trite to say we are simply companions; it is much more profound. There is a depth to his gaze that is hard to fathom. He is not merely looking at me but radiates a sense of calm. And in that...

Guide dog trainer leans over and pets yellow guide dog in harness as it sits

How to Become a Guide Dog Instructor

A guide dog instructor takes a break from training to give the guide dog a head scratch At Southeastern Guide Dogs, most of our guide dog instructors begin their careers here as canine care technicians, taking care of dogs that are training on our campus. This entry-level position requires a love of dogs as well...

Recent Articles

Collage of students and their dogs from class 297

Meet Guide Dog Class 297

Congratulations, Guide Dog Class #297 Brave and determined students with vision loss arrived at our campus recently to train with the guide dogs that will forever change their lives. Whether affected by terrible trauma or medical adversities, each of our Class #297 graduates hoped for renewed independence and confidence. They found new strength in the…

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A women kneels and smiles with two yellow labs

Behind the Scenes: Creating Dogs of Destiny

Jen Noble is an Emmy® Award-winning video storyteller, and the producer of the premiere episode of Dogs of Destiny, a new web series that dives into the many stories surrounding the dogs of Southeastern Guide Dogs, and the humans lucky enough to raise, train, and interact with them in real life. We wanted to get…

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Man sits on stairs with black lab sitting in front of him and both look at the camera and smile

Extraordinary Dogs, Transforming the Lives of Veterans and Families

Class 296 consists of veterans who lived and trained on our beautiful campus and those who trained in their home and communities. They include service dogs for PTSD and other disabilities, emotional support dogs for veterans needing help and friendship, Gold Star Family dogs for military families who have lost a loved one, and facility…

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Man and yellow guide dog both look and smiles at the camera

Finally Feeling Free

Click here for audio description for the visually impaired  “I lost my vision but I gained Buddy” Kenneth E. Hughes came for a guide dog and went home with his best buddy, Buddy. What a difference a dog makes! We met Kenneth in August 2020 when he arrived from Greenville, South Carolina, to our Palmetto,…

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Meet Guide Dog Class 295

Congratulations, Guide Dog Class 295 When our students first arrived on our campus, whether as first-timers or experienced guide dog handlers, they shared the same excitement and concerns. Would their dog be the right match? Would they be able to learn everything required, everything their exceptionally well-trained dogs already knew? Three weeks later, all are…

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