Seeing Eye Dogs Australia 50 years of quality national service!

Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA) is the only national trainer and provider of Seeing Eye Dogs in Australia and has been helping people who are blind or vision impaired for 50 years. These unique dogs provide the ‘gift of independence’ and freedom in day-to-day life by becoming the ‘eyes’ of a person who is blind or vision impaired.

Right now there are 480,000 Australians aged over 40 with considerable vision impairment and 50,000 of these people are legally blind. At SEDA, we do not receive any government funding so our work depends solely on the goodwill and support of our volunteers and donors to provide dogs as guides.

It costs $30,000 and takes up to two years of intensive training for one Seeing Eye Dog to graduate. However, because these dogs need to have the highest capabilities in order to meet strict requirements, not all of them pass. In fact, the pass rate is only 50 per cent. And sometimes it’s not known until the very end of training whether a dog will be suitable – even the most highly skilled dog may not meet all of the criteria. 

From the early age of seven weeks, these pups leave Camp SEDA to venture into the world with their volunteer Puppy Carers. Puppy Carers are very special people because they have the job – under the watchful guidance of SEDA staff – to socialise, love and nurture these pups for the first 12 months of their life. Pups will be taught to toilet and eat only on command, visit supermarkets, restaurants, schools and the like so they are confident in all aspects of daily living. They are also taught left from right, how to stop at a curb, find a seat and many more tasks. Puppy Carers attend socialisation days and visit the city, using trams, trains and buses. In real terms, being a Puppy Carer is like having a child.

When the pups are 12 to 14 months old, they must pass a rigorous test to move on to the next level – six months of intensive training at Camp SEDA. This is where the real work begins. SEDA instructors train and test these pups to do the most amazing tasks. After all, someone will be relying on these dogs to always get it right. When a person relies on a dog for their eyes, their life and safety is dependent on the dog’s ability to ensure there are no cars coming or dangers ahead, and other aspects of daily we, as sighted people, take for granted.

After six months of training the dogs are then assessed for their suitability to help a blind or vision impaired person. This is also an intensive process to ensure the pups and the person match – everything from the height to the personality of the person and the dog is considered.

Once this process is complete, our client stays with us in our residence for a four-week training course. They bond with their dog guide and begin to work together as a team – a team that will last for approximately 10 to 12 years.

Seeing Eye Dogs Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation dependent on the generous support of sponsors and donors. SEDA has established a dedicated phone line – 1800 PUPPYS (1800 787 797) – for people who wish to sponsor a puppy or make a donation. Your support will give a person who is blind or vision impaired the greatest gift they could receive – independence for life.

For further information, please call 03 9381 6400

Seeing Eye Dogs Australia
17 Barrett Street, Kensington Vic 3031