One of the most important and remarkable institutions in downtown Sarasota is the Southeastern Guide Dogs Training Center and Dog Boutique at 1618 Main Street.
Southeastern Guide Dogs is a 501c.3 non-profit corporation that has received 4 stars (the highest rating) from Charity Navigator, America’s leading independent charity evaluator. More than 82% of the donations to Southeastern Guide Dogs goes directly to program expenses.
Founded in 1982, Southeastern Guide Dogs strives to build and enhance partnerships between visually-impaired individuals and guide dogs. Southeastern Guide Dogs today facilitates over 600 guide-dog partnerships across the country, and has enabled more than 2,800 partnerships since 1982. Over 70 new partnerships are established each year. Additionally, the organization trains and makes available the “ambassador dogs” you may have seen on television, dogs who provide comfort to those in hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices. Southeastern Guide Dogs also trains “public service dogs” for work in search and rescue, bomb detection, and drug detection. Southeastern Guide Dogs is a member of the Council of U.S. Dog Guide Schoolsand is accredited by the International Guide Dog Federation in Reading, England.
The downtown Sarasota location is an urban training headquarters for both dogs and students. The location offers workshops, seminars, obedience classes, and programs on all aspects of guide dog ownership and partnerships. The downtown location also features a delightful gift shop and “pet boutique,” with all proceeds going to support the organization’s mission. In addition to the downtown Sarasota location, Southeastern Guide Dogs also has facilities in Bradenton and Palmetto.
Southeastern Guide Dogs works with only 3 breeds: Labradors, golden retrievers, and mixed-breed Lab/retrievers. More than 7,500 generous donors and over 550 volunteers currently support the work of Southeastern Guide Dogs. About 80 dogs are currently in training with the group’s 21 instructors. Weekday mornings, anyone who wants to meet the dogs is invited to the Sarasota site for “puppy hugging” from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. or from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (please make reservations). Plenty of volunteer opportunities are also available. In addition to private donations, Southeastern Guide Dogs is supported by annual community walk-a-thons in St. Petersburg, Bradenton, and downtown Sarasota. You’re invited to check out for yourself the Main Street training center and gift shop. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays.