Crossing the road, recognising and avoiding obstacles or finding a seat on the tram – these are all part of the repertoire of tasks that guide dogs help their owners with. It takes almost two years of education and training before the Labradors are ready for their responsibility-laden role. Firstly though, a visually impaired person has to be assessed thoroughly, so as to determine whether they have what it takes to keep a guide dog. “We work on the principle that dog and owner have to come together as a team,” says Gérard Guye, who has been the foundation’s Managing Director for eight years.

The foundation employs around 60 staff and has trained more than 1,100 dogs since it was established. “The puppies stay with us for ten weeks initially, during which we supervise them virtually round the clock. We’ve worked with cynologists to develop a special stimulation programme for young dogs that introduces them to their role in a playful way,” explains Gérard Guye. The dogs (around 80 per year) then spend 15 months with a foster family, where they grow up, are given further stimulation and learn their first auditory commands. A five-person support team provides regular assistance for the foster families.

Dogs do not attain the maturity of character required to assess their talents and professional futures until they are 12 to 15 months old. However, during their time with the foster families, it often becomes clear which dogs are talented enough to become guide dogs. “Half of them have what it takes to be guide dogs. Another 40 percent have the potential to be assistance dogs for people with physical disabilities, social support dogs or autism support dogs. We give the remaining dogs away as family pets,” says Gérard Guye.

The animals chosen for guide dog training leave their foster families and return to Allschwil, where they are trained by instructors over the following six to nine months. At the end of this nearly two-year training programme, experts from the Invalidity Insurance Office (IV) assess the dogs to determine whether they make the grade as guide dogs. If they pass this demanding challenge, each dog is introduced to a customer, and if the two of them pass the team test, IV pays the foundation a monthly ‘hire’ fee of CHF 350 per dog from then on. The term ‘hire’ is used because the guide dogs remain the property of the foundation and are therefore only entrusted to their ‘owners’ on loan.

“We decided that guide dogs should retire at the age of eleven at the latest,” states the Managing Director. He adds that this depends on the dog’s condition and may happen earlier, for instance if it starts to get frightened easily. In such cases, he explains, the owner then has the option of retaining the dog if feasible – otherwise, there is a long waiting list for these Labradors.

Besides the Labrador, other breeds (e.g. Alsatian, Standard Poodle, Labradoodle) also make good guide or assistance dogs. The Labrador is by far the most commonly used breed though. Why is that, actually? “They’re incredibly grateful animals. They have a strong ‘desire to please’, are eager to work, sociable and very pleasant-natured. So the Labrador has ideal characteristics for training, as well as for coping with multiple changes of owner throughout its life,” explains Gérard Guye. The school in Allschwil has focused exclusively on breeding Labradors since it was founded, and has thus built up considerable know-how.

Finances are a key issue for a foundation that has to get by on little public funding. 90 percent of its income comes from donations, bequests and projects. “We have many loyal benefactors, who kept on supporting us all through the pandemic. In addition, thanks to 50 years of work, we benefit from a high profile, a broad network and many partnerships. This is not to be taken for granted though, as other institutions were less fortunate in this regard during Covid,” says Gérard Guye by way of summary.

The IV hire fees for the guide dogs make up only a fraction of the income. They are nowhere near enough to cover the training costs of over CHF 65,000 per dog. At CHF 350 francs per month and with a maximum working life of nine years, the maths is simple: “Not even the best-funded guide dog is profitable,” Gérard Guye points out.

Although the foundation is in a good position, it would be reassuring to have the security of more fixed contributions, as major challenges lie ahead: The buildings’ technical installations will need to be modernised in the coming years. Digitalisation and new working models, prompted and driven by the pandemic, also necessitate significant investment. Next, Gérard Guye and his motivated team are looking forward to the 50th-anniversary celebrations in September. Then, they will join partners and benefactors in raising a glass to the school’s future, which will hopefully be one of continuing success.

The foundation receives no public funding and, as a charitable organisation, is exempt from tax. Donations from private individuals, firms and grant-making foundations (on a project-by-project basis) provide 90 percent of its income, alongside the sale of promotional items and the IV hire fees for the guide dogs. You can support the foundation, for example, by making a donation to the PostFinance account 40-1275-0 or via Twint: blindenhundeschule.ch/en/support/donations