Playful pups evolve into powerful allies at Guide Dogs of the Desert, the region’s prominent non-profit organization that custom-trains guide dogs to blind and visually impaired individuals.
To be sure, the nonprofit’s ongoing mission to provide quality guide dogs is significant, but so is maintaining general operating expenses.
A grant from the Hemet Lions Club Endowed Donor Advised Fund via Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) will help on that front.
Robert Maher, Executive Director of Guide Dogs of the Desert, says the IECF funding will factor into “everything we do here.
“For instance, in 2025, we had 77 puppies, which is wonderful,” he added. “However, those wonderful puppies go off to volunteer puppy raisers for 18 to 24 months, which is fantastic, but all of those puppies need training equipment.”
Maher is referring to toys, balls, leashes, harnesses, and other items that fall under the “general operating expenses” umbrella.
“People may not know that each of those dogs are valued at about $100,000, which is what it costs us to bring them through the three-year training process,” he said. “It’s basically 24 months to three years of getting those dogs trained from the time that they’re a puppy to the time that they’re being placed as a guide dog.”
He also noted the high success rate of puppies that become guide dogs.
“It’s about 55 percent, which is higher than a lot of the national average,” he said. “And that really speaks to the high quality of our volunteers and what they’re able to provide us as well as our direct guide dog training staff.”
The organization has several puppy trainers and those who work with the volunteer puppy trainers. Collectively, the dogs are taught basic dog obedience.
“It’s much more than most of us do for our own house pet,” Maher said. “Our dogs are taught to go to the bathroom, even on command. After that initial puppy-training period, the dogs come in for formal guide dog training, and those are done by formal guide dog trainers here.”
Those individuals are called Guide Dog Mobility Instructors. At this point, they work with the dog for another six months for formal training.
“The thing that I always try to emphasize with people is the next time you’re standing on a street corner, close your eyes and say, ‘How am I going to get myself across the street?’” Maher said. “If you were visually impaired, and if you had a white cane with you, do you feel comfortable stepping out into the traffic with that white cane to get yourself across the street?
“But when you know that you have this dog by your side, you know you have the complete trust, confidence, and ability in that dog to safely walk you across that street,” he added. “And that’s just a life-changing experience to have that comfort level.”
Guide Dogs of the Desert’s operates from a six-acre campus that includes a 12-bedroom dorm. A common area for socialization creates other opportunities to learn and bond. The facility’s 400-seat multi-purpose room also serves as an auditorium where graduations take place upon completion of training.
Meanwhile, an onsite kennel complex can accommodate up to 25 dogs while they’re moving through training or if they require any medical attention. The Frank M. and Gertrude R. Doyle Foundation Wellness Center provides yet another space for health and welfare matters for puppies and dogs during their formal training.
Maher said there are many ways the public can learn more about the nonprofit.
“Our graduations are held here on campus and those events are free and open to the public,” he added. “People can check our website for upcoming events. But everybody is always welcome to participate in a scheduled tour of the campus and facilities.”
In the meantime, mark your calendars for the nonprofit’s special event on March 25 at Eight4Nine Restaurant & Lounge in Palm Springs.
“It’s an exciting Easter bonnet auction party,” Maher said. “People in the community are making Easter bonnets that we’ll auction off. There will also be a silent auction. This is a really fun event where everybody gets together and has a good time.”
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, March, 2026.
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