1800 422 007
Seeing Eye Dogs, a division of Vision Australia, is the only national breeder, trainer and supplier of Seeing Eye Dogs.
What is a Seeing Eye Dog?
A Seeing Eye Dog provides someone who is blind or has low vision with the confidence to get around safely and be truly independent.
It takes two years and a large investment to graduate a puppy to a Seeing Eye Dog.
From around 12 months of age, a Seeing Eye Dog undergoes six months of advanced training.
The Seeing Eye Dog is then matched with a person who is blind or has low vision and, together they become a working team. A client will then receive training from a Seeing Eye Dogs’ instructor for three to four weeks. Seeing Eye Dogs typically work with their handlers for eight years.
Fast facts
- Seeing Eye Dogs established 1960
- Merged with Vision Australia in 2008
- On average 200 puppies born every year
- More than 700 volunteers care and support puppies until working age
- Stand-alone mobility training centre equipped with train carriages, reversing car, traffic lights and crosswalks
The Mobility Training Centre
Our Mobility Training Centre is a world-first, state-of-the-art, under cover mobility training centre that provides a safe and realistic place for a person who is blind or has low vision to become familiar and confident, with either their newly-matched Seeing Eye Dog or their white cane, without the fear that can come from training outside.
It provides a mock outdoor environment that comprises pedestrian crossings, roadside kerbing, functional traffic lights with audio signals, a simulated train carriage and train platform, an escalator, a mock café, a reversing car, footpaths and varying surfaces to train Seeing Eye Dogs, handlers and white cane users.
How you can help
Our puppies need your love and support to become working Seeing Eye Dogs. That’s why we need:
Puppy carers
We need volunteer puppy carers to welcome and care for pups in their homes from eight weeks of age or older.
As a puppy carer you help teach the pup some basic foundational skills required to support them on their journey to become a working Seeing Eye Dog for a client who is blind or has low vision. This includes socialising the pup, toileting on cue and walking nicely on a lead amongst other things.
Flexible caring options are available including the six month and 12 month puppy caring programs.
Donors
Our waiting list to match people with a Seeing Eye Dog is high.
We currently match approximately 200 people with a working dog each year, but with your donations, we can boost that number.
Locations
Melbourne
Seeing Eye Dogs head office, mobility training centre and puppy centre
17 Barrett Street, Kensington VIC 3031
Phone: 1800 03 77 73
Brisbane
373 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo QLD 4151
Phone: 07 3727 2345
Coming soon
NSW services
Online training available at all states and territories.