International Guide Dog Day

Travelling with a guide dog, playing table tennis and tic-tac-toe blindfolded… – visitors are welcomed in nearly 20 cities all over the country on the occasion of the International Guide Dog Day on Saturday, April 25.

and other specialties are among the different programs which can be of interest to sighted people – everything they do not encounter in their daily lives but can be familiarized with in an exciting way at the various locations where a number of devices and games can be tried out. Anything and everything can be learnt about the mysterious and extraordinary guide dogs and even walking with a guide dog can be tried out at some of the locations.

Our programs direct the attention to the approximately 80 thousand people with visual impairments living in Hungary as well as the guide dogs and their importance – what tremendous assistance a guide dog means for the visually impaired. Trained guide dogs are exceptional: with their special skills they are of true help for people with visual impairments. They supplement their owners, provide a link for them to the environment and lead and guard them accordingly. With their assistance and additional amity, guide dogs provide self-reliance and self-confidence for their owners, making their life complete – this is a big thing! With harness on their back, guide dogs do a very serious and responsible job– guarding a person’s life. Their profession is one of the most beautiful intended for dogs.

This is why many people rejoiced when in the middle of April the 50th guide dog trained by our foundation passed the guide dog exam. He is one of the 123 guide dogs working with a certificate in Hungary today. Thinking of the approximately 80 thousand visually impaired people living in Hungary, this rate in exceptionally bad – in cooperation with our supporters, we work to improve this number.

Everybody is welcomed at the following locations and times on Saturday, April 25:

Bonyhád, in front of the Mayor’s Office, 9:00-12:00

Budapest, Campona, 10:00-14:00

Debrecen, Debrecen Forum, 10:00-12:00

Fót, Auchan, 10:00-12:00

Eger, Agria Park, 10:00-13:00 (jointly with Integrating and Sport Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired)

Kalocsa, 48-asok tere (Square 48), 10:00-12:00

Kaposvár, Kaposvár Plaza, 10:00-13:00 (jointly with the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Somogy County)

Miskolc, Miskolc Plaza, 10:00-14:00

Sátoraljaújhely, Kossuth Square 5., 10:00-12:00

Sopron, Sopron Plaza, 10:00-12:00

Szeged, Széchényi Square, 10:00-16:00 (jointly with Árboc Association)

Szerencs, Caste of Szerencs, 11:00-14:00 (jointly with North Hungarian Rehabilitation Center for the Visually Impaired)

Tatabánya, Vértes Center, 10:00-13:00

Üllő, Corner of Ócsai Street és Hunyadi Street, 9:00-11:30 (jointly with the Central Hungarian Regional Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired)

Pécs, Kossuth Square, 10:00-13:00 (jointly with Ki-látás Foundation)

Vác, in front of Fressnapf, 10:00-13:00

In front of Campona, in Budapest, the program will end with toy-balloons released in the air at 2 p.m: as many  balloons will be flying up in the air as the number of guide dogs currently working with a certificate in Hungary. Together we can do a lot to far exceed this number 123 next year and that much more guide dog could work in the country…! Support our work in accordance with your capacity – let’s have a common goal to be able to train and give more and more guide dogs to their visually impaired owners free of charge!