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Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Orono Weekly Times - 3 FARLEY Continued from front school in Oakville at the end of this past June, reports Jean. "Argo is in training to help a child with autism. This is a new program for the Lions Foundation of Canada. The first class graduated in February and already there is a waiting list," she says. "Hopefully these walks will shorten the list. What a difference it makes to these children and their families." Making a difference is what motivates volunteers like the Grahams, and like Newcastle resident Murray Paterson. As the longest serving member of the Newcastle Lions Club, Paterson has been helping with the walk every year since it first started 16 years ago. "It's a marvel to see these dogs get trained," he says. "It's quite an operation. It takes a lot of money to train them. So hopefully we'll have a successful event." The dogs are trained as Canine Vision dog guides (for people who are blind or visually impaired), Hearing Ear dog guides (for people who are deaf or hard of hearing), Special Skills dog guides (for people with a medical or physical disability), Seizure Response dog guides (for people with epilepsy), and Autism Assistance dog guides (for children with autism). As with most endeavours of higher learning, the specialized training of a dog guide is expensive: approximately $20, 000 per dog. It starts when the dog is approximately a year old, at which time it leaves its foster home. The dog is then assessed and assigned to one of three programs (Vision, Hearing, or Special Skills) for 6-8 months of training. This is followed by a final stage of training learning the specific needs of the individual client - when the dog and its new human partner work together at the Oakville school for up to 26 days. The Newcastle walk raises money to cover the cost of training the dog guides -which are offered at no charge to the client -- and, Jean says, 100 percent of the pledges go to the Dog Guides program. photo by J. Graham You can support Farley the foster puppy in this Saturday's Newcastle Walk for Dog Guides, or register to participate with your own dog, by going online to www.walkfordogguides.com (click on `Find A Walk,' then using the drop-down menu choose `Ontario', then choose `Newcastle.'). "In the fifteen years we have hosted the walks, Newcastle has raised over $300,000," says Jean. "We raised approximately $23,000 last year. I think we were fifth [in fundraising, of all the walks held]... across Canada. Not bad for the small town of Newcastle." Last year's walk -- with FARLEY see page 4 ~ Happenings ~ Sundays, 2-3:30 pm - Public Skating, Orono Arena Tuesdays, 2-3:30 pm - Parents, Tots & Seniors Skating, Orono Arena Wednesdays, 12-1:30 pm - Parents, Tots & Seniors Skating, Orono Arena Wednesday, October 6, 2010 - Local and Regional Candidates Meeting, 7 - 9:30 at The Pines Senior Public School. Meet candidates and ask questions. Wednesday, October 6, 2010 - Tyrone Senior Bazaar & Penny Sale, Doors open at 12 pm, $2 admission, Tyrone Community Centre. Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - Fashion Show by Monica Rose, 7 pm, Solina Hall, Tickets $10. Call 905-263-8380. Fundraiser for Eldad United Church.