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Alton anticipates the goal will be met by the end of March. He said the training centre must expand to meet the growing demand for trained dogs. Of a $3.5 million goal, $1.8 million has already been raised since the camâ€" paign was launched in August, said Alton. This includes a $1 million donaâ€" tion from the Sir James Dunn Foundation, named in honor of the late New Brunswick entrepreneur. "This is a national fundraising camâ€" paign of the Lions Foundation of Canada," announced Tom Alton of Oakville, President of the Bank of Montreal, Mortgage Corp., and coâ€" chair of Partners in Independence with Bill Moody, founding chairman of the Lions Foundation. Charitable Foundations chair for the Partners in Independence campaign is Ruth Anne Winter, a local business woman who has volunteered in a similar capacity for Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. Jpend Well established and bursting at the seams with the ongoing training and matching of dogs to recipients, which requires people to spend time at the cenâ€" tre for their own training and bonding with the dog, the Lions Foundation has embarked on an ambitious fundraising and expansion campaign. TRAINING MS/WORD for WINDOWS At two open houses held last week, a number of graduates from the three proâ€" grams came back to the centre to demonstrate and explain the benefits of having a trained dog to wouldâ€"be donors and Lions Club members, the Partners in Independence campaign was officialâ€" ly launched. The centre became known as Canine Vision Canada â€" now one of three proâ€" grams offered. In 1988, the Lions Foundation took over Hearing Ear Dogs of Canada, and in 1992, moved its trainâ€" ing facilities to Oakville from Ancaster. The third program Special Skills Dogs of Canada, started in 1991 as totally new program in response to speâ€" cific requests being made to the centre. It all began with the establishment of the Lions Foundation in February 1983, by Lions Clubs across Canada. The foundation renovated an old public school at Kerr, Rebecca and Wilson streets in downtown Oakville, and opened a training centre for guide dogs in 1985. hanks to the Lions Foundation of Canada, based in Oakville, more than 440 specially trained dogs are currently matched with recipients across the counâ€" try, 240 Canine Vision Dogs for the visually impaired, 170 Hearing Ear Dogs, and 36 Special Skills Dogs. Foundation announces $3.5 million expansion campaign (See ‘Increased demand . . .‘ page 19) Oakville‘s Business School and many more artne] WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1994 PAGE 17 At last week‘s two open houses at the Lions Foundation of Canada canine training facility in Oakville, graduates from all three of its programs were on hand to explain and demonstrate the benefits of having specially trained dogs. It is part of the foundation‘s Partners in Independence campaign to raise $3.5 million to expand. Independence is just one of the beneâ€" fits of a guide dog for the blind, a hearâ€" ing ear dog for the deaf, and a special skills dog for those with medical and physical disabilities. It also means freeâ€" dom for the individual, and gives that person more confidence, freedom, and a better quality of life. or many, a dog means friendship. And, for a growing number of Canadians, a dog means independence â€" and companionship. Man‘s best friend becomes the eyes, ears, hands and proâ€" tector of a person with a disability. They become Partners in Independence. By WILMA BLOKHUIS Focus Editor Guideâ€"dogs give independence to blind, deaf, and medically disabled For these thee women, their highly trained guide dogs are a lifeline to the outside world. They are, from left, Sue Hoffman and Seiko, a Special Skills Dog; Sharon Ruttan and DJ, a Canine Vision Dog; and Lesley Wright and Missy, a Hearing Ear Dog. Hoffman suffers from severe epilepsy and her black Standard Poodle is trained to assist and protect her; Ruttan is blind and her Yellow Lab allows her to go places independently; and Wright‘s Golden Retriever alerts her to sounds such as the doorbell and telephone. All three are graduates of the Lions Foundation of Canada training centre and received their dogs at no cost, thanks to donations to the Foundation. A $3.5 million campaign has been announced. (Photo by Riziero Vertolli) "FOCUS "DJ keeps me on the straight and narâ€" row," says Sharon Ruttan of Hamilton. The fourâ€"yearâ€"old Yellow Lab is her third Canine Vision Dog. Ruttan is almost totally blind, with only 5% to 7% vision in one eye, resulting from "too much oxygen in the incubator damaging the retinas of my eyes." She was born prematurely at only 1 1/2 pounds. Ruttan, who has a nineâ€"yearâ€"old son and worked at Stelco until seven years ago, says DJ is a constant companion. "I would get headaches every time I went out. I had no headache that first day I got her â€" DJ takes the stress away. It was a pleasure to go out again. With a dog I feel a lot more reassurance and have more mobility than I have with a cane. With a dog, I‘m not bumping into things." Ruttan got her first dog in 1986. Her first two dogs went to friends as pets. She got DJ in August. "I was without a dog for eight months before I got DJ, and the first day I got her, I went downtown," said Ruttan. Disrespect for her white cane during those months she waited for a new dog caused her considerable stress. "I‘ m with the dog 24 hours a day. A Independen Seiko, a large black Standard Poodle, literally "watches over me," says Sue Hoffman of Bolton, an epileptic who suffers two to four seizures a week, seizures which can become seriously convulsive three to four times a year requiring hospitalization. Otherwise, they last about 1 1/2 minutes, however "it takes me about 15 minutes to come Special Skills Dogs are custom trained to certain specifications, to either stand guard over somebody who is suffering an epileptic seizure, to pulling a wheelchair user up a ramp, opening doors, and retrieving items. qually important to proâ€" viding Canine Vision Dogs to blind and visuâ€" ally impaired people is the training and matchâ€" ing of Hearing Ear Dogs to the deaf and hard of hearing, and Special Skills Dogs to the medically and physically disâ€" abled. trained dog is more than a pet, it‘s part of you. DJ is more than just a pet and companion â€" she‘s my lifeline to the outside world." "I‘ve been hit by cars, I‘ve been burned, I‘ve had broken arms and legs, and I was robbed twice before I decided to get a dog," said Hoffman. Seiko, her dog for three years, has learned to recognize the onset of a seizure, and has prevented her from walking out into traffic, or into other kinds of danger. "Seiko has hauled me off my feet many times," said Hoffman, adding the dog is trained to use its own judgment. Seiko is also trained to push a LifeLine button, and is known to bark for up to half an hour until help arrives. "Seiko wears a (royal blue) harness and leash, and so do I," says Hoffman, stressing the importance of Seiko being leashed to her at all times. "When I‘m having a seizure, she pulls me out of danger, and stands over top of me." For this reason, a fairly large dog was choâ€" sen to be trained for Hoffman. around after I‘ve had a seizure." Hoffman gets a "15â€"second warming." When she is inside, she can use that time to walk to a wall to sit down; outâ€" side, she keeps on walking. (See ‘Specially trained dogs . . .‘ page 19) TMBLUE CHIP THINKING is a tradeâ€" mark of Midand Walwyn Capital Inc. _ MIDLAND WALWYN B L U E C HIP _ T.H T NK IN G"* s