Save the Guide Dogs Class

This is an awesome program for any student.

so many people i know took this class and it helped so many people. it is beneficial for both the students in the class and the people receiving the dogs.

I took this class and it was amazing please don’t forget the lessons that we learn and how much this class changes lives

This is a wonderful program. It will be so sad if it leaves the salt lake School district. It has enriched so many students by having a animal companion with them and showing them how they can take care of an animal.

The Guide Dogs and Small and Companion Animal Science CTE classes in the Salt Lake City District have been an extraordinary opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience working with animals while learning important life skills. These classes teach responsibility, patience, leadership, and compassion in a way that few other programs can. Students not only learn how to care for and train animals, but they also develop teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills that will serve them well in school and beyond. Beyond the benefits to students, the Guide Dogs program has a profound impact on the wider community. The puppies trained in this program may go on to become guide dogs, providing independence, safety, and confidence to people who are blind or visually impaired. Every hour students spend socializing, training, and caring for these animals directly contributes to the development of guide dogs who can change lives. These classes also foster awareness and understanding about disabilities, the role of service animals, and the responsibility that comes with caring for living beings. Students gain a real sense of purpose and the satisfaction of knowing their efforts can have a lasting impact on someone else’s life. Discontinuing the Guide Dogs and Small and Companion Animal Science classes would be a tremendous loss—not only for students who benefit educationally and personally, but also for the community members who rely on future guide dogs and the programs that train them. These classes create compassionate, skilled, and engaged young people while supporting a life-changing mission. We strongly urge the Salt Lake City District to reconsider and continue offering these invaluable programs for the benefit of students, animals, and the community alike.

puppy raisers change lives by raising amazing dogs who help people, including myself as a blind guide dog handler.

Guide dogs is an amazing program that has helped so many people and deserves to be continued!

Please save the guide dog program!! It’s so important for the kids!

Being part of this program in high school led me to go on to continue to puppy raise for another decade, and continue into the assistance dog field as a professional trainer. Without the guidance and support of my teacher and other program participants I wholeheartedly believe I would not have had the courage to pursue my dream educational journey and career — bachelors and masters in human/animal science and spending every day training dogs to assist individuals with disabilities.

Please keep the program

This program means so much to the people in it

I raised a dog and it changed my life. I loved being a part of this amazing program.

The GDB Program taught me commitment and communication that no other class at school was able to teach me. I learned valuable, lifelong skills that I — as a, now, college student — still utilize today. This program is imperative to both students and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

I have attended the class in my years as a student and can say that it is great experience and can lead to a path for growth towards careers in animal sciences, animal care, agricultural industries, etc. Removing this class would be a huge failure and would stunt the development of important information in a person's life.

This program is such an amazing opportunity for students to bond with animals and learn about how incredible they are. It brings these amazing dogs bonds that will last there whole life, it brings them an amazing outcome to help humans.

Raising guide dog puppies in high school allowed me to be awarded several scholarships for college, as well as connecting me with the broader community around me. Programs like this allow students to gain hands on skills in training and socializing that translate to other animal training opportunities, as well as gaining communication skills to advocate for the dog they are raising as well as the broader guide dog and service dog community.

i want a dog

Please do not close this program it brings tremendous value to our community and these kids. The value that many of these programs create should not and is not tied to any certification or perceived economic value. Many of these kids are on track to be veterinarians and you need 600 hours of work with animals. Removing this program makes achieving those hours exponentially more difficult.

Keep the class!