YORKTON – The third annual Pet Valu Walk for Dog Guides was held at Jaycee Beach June 1.
Participants braved the wind and traversed the entirety of the beach's trail for the national fundraising and awareness event held in local communities in each province across Canada.
Proceeds raised from the national event go towards the training of service dogs to support Canadians with disabilities.
"The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides School is located in Oakville, Ont., and they offer seven different programs for dogs that they train," said Charlene Izuka, organizer for the event, in an interview with SaskToday.ca
Izuka said the cost to train a service dog is $35,000. After training, the dogs specialize in different services including seizure response, facilities support, guides for for the visually impaired, autism support and diabetes alert.
Izuka, who lives with multiple sclerosis, said she suffers from falls. Prior to owning her service dog Fido, Izuka said she was falling up to 30 times per month.
"On average I was falling about 20-30 times a month and hurting myself," said Izuka, adding, "He alerts me before I fall so that I can sit down and be safe."
"Now that we've been a team for a couple of years he's made a difference in my life," said Izuka of her service dog.
At the time of writing, national efforts from the walk have raised $804,984 of their $1,600,000 goal.
"If it helps somebody ... if it raises awareness — why not," said Izuka of her participation in the event.
For those interested in donating to the cause, visit their website.
