“Run, Relief, Rest” are the three R’s that guide dog handlers and their guide dogs practice daily! In 2024, CNIB Lake Joe will be unveiling a new guide dog “free run and rest” area.
This fully accessible, fenced-in enclosure will allow our hard-working guide dogs to get some well-deserved play time off-leash while at camp.
Special features include a shade structure for those hot sunny days, a water station to stay hydrated after all the play, and enriching “puppy playground” equipment and toys to burn off energy. The location of this area is central to camp, between cabins H&K, so campers with guide dogs can remain close to all the activities while their dogs are at play.
Guide dog teams who have been to CNIB Lake Joe may be familiar with “Dudley’s Den,” a small fenced in guide dog relief area at CNIB Lake Joe. Over the years, efforts were made to make the area more accessible, for example by extending the sidewalk across the road. While Dudley’s Den isn’t as ‘out of the way’ as it once was, due to the addition of the camp’s new Adventure Zone (featuring a climbing tower, soccer pitch, and mini golf course), feedback from guests was clear – a larger, more welcoming and accessible space for guide dogs would be paw-fect!
Thanks to the generosity of John and Ann Firstbrook, longtime cottagers who are part of our CNIB Lake Joe community, we’ve been able to create a space that will better meet the needs of these dedicated dogs and their happy handlers.
“My passion and support for CNIB Lake Joe started more than 50 years ago when my grandfather brought me to the camp in his boat so we could take campers on boat rides,” shares John. “Years later, it means so much to our family that a new free-run-and-rest area for guests’ guide dogs will be named the ‘Goldie, Bentley & Kodi’s Run’ in memory of our beloved former family canine companions.”