Calgary Volunteers: Urgent Call to Raise Guide Dogs

CALGARY — CNIB Guide Dogs is hunting for volunteers willing to raise puppies that could change someone's life. The pitch is simple: open your home to a future guide dog, and the organization covers the bills. The catch? They need you now.

The charity is scrambling to fill a growing waitlist of Canadians who are blind or Deafblind—people stuck in limbo for over a year waiting for a dog that costs $50,000 to train. And because the program runs entirely on donations with zero sustainable government cash, volunteers are the financial pressure valve keeping the whole operation from collapsing under kennel fees.

The Money Crunch

Here's the math that matters: every puppy that goes to a volunteer home instead of a kennel saves CNIB serious money during that critical first year. Multiply that across dozens of dogs, and you're looking at the difference between meeting demand and turning people away.

This isn't CNIB's first rodeo. They ran similar recruitment blitzes in late 2024 and mid-2025, a sign that the post-pandemic volunteer shortage is still biting hard. Meanwhile, the waitlist keeps growing, fed by graduates trickling out of the training center in Carleton Place, Ontario.

The Competition

CNIB isn't the only player chasing volunteers in Calgary. Dogs with Wings and National Service Dogs are fishing the same pool, all competing for people willing to commit time and couch space to a four-legged trainee.

And while the provincial Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services technically oversees disability supports, guide dog programs get exactly nothing in sustained government funding. It's all donor dollars and volunteer sweat equity.

The Ask

CNIB wants two types of helpers: short-term boarders and long-term raisers. Your job is basic training, socialization, and turning a puppy into a confident working dog. The organization picks up the tab for vet care, food, and gear, plus they'll train you. No dog experience required.

The program is accredited under the Imagine Canada Standards Program and operates under Alberta's Service Dogs Act and Blind Persons' Rights Act. The credentials are solid. The need is urgent.

Volunteers interested in signing up can contact CNIB Guide Dogs directly. The puppies are waiting.