OccuPaws Guide Dog Association
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This is the official site for OccuPaws Guide Dog Association. All of our dogs are trained on an individual basis and are worked extensively on a daily basis.
OccuPaws is a nonprofit dedicated to providing fully trained guide dogs at no cost to the visually impaired adults across Wisconsin. Our Program
OccuPaws, an International Guide Dog Federation accredited school, offers a unique training experience to the clients we serve. All of our placement training sessions are conducted in the comfort of the client's home environment. This means that a blind individual does not have to leave their home, their job and their family to get the training required to safely and effectively use one of the most incredible mobility tools available - a guide dog. In some cases, acquiring a guide dog may affect the lives of other family members, and depending on the client and the individual situation, the family may also partake in some of the guide dog training experience. Once an OccuPaws' puppy has earned his or her CGC (Canine Good Citizen) certification, passes our intensive health screenings and graduates from the Community Puppy Program, they start the three to four month long phase of Formal Harness Training. During the Formal Harness Training, the aspiring guide dogs reside in the homes of our Guide Dog Mobility Instructors or volunteer homes. While the dogs are learning guide dog mechanics, they are taught to avoid obstacles, indicate changes in elevation, respect traffic and much, much more. OccuPaws has also integrated "targeting" as a major part of the formal harness training. Our dogs are taught to find many objects for their blind partners such as escalators, elevators, stairs, empty chairs, counters, empty stalls in public restrooms, find inside and find their way out of buildings and so much more. Once the Instructors and Apprentice Trainers have completed the training necessary for a dog to become a safe and efficient working guide, the dogs are then proofed and polished by our visually impaired apprentice Instructor. Yes, all of the OccuPaws' Guide Dogs live and work with an actual blind person before they are matched with their permanent partners. It is the art of the match when it comes to pairing the perfect working team. Our application process and mobility screening helps us match the right guide dog with the right person. We take into consideration: lifestyle, activity level, walking speed and personality to name a few. Once we match the right dog with the right person, the placement training can take place. Our "in community" placement program is typically a two to three week training period. The length of the client's training is defined by the individual's needs, ability and experience. Our clients will learn how to safely use their guide dogs in many settings such as rural, residential, city and major metropolitan locations. All aspects of guide dog mechanics, philosophy, public transportation, problem solving and service dog access and etiquette will be covered during placement training. Technical support and follow up for the working life of each OccuPaws' team is available and at the ready when requested. We take great pride in our small size and our ability to effectively support our guide dog users. If you would like to apply for an OccuPaws' Guide Dog, please complete and submit our Student Application. If you have any questions regarding the Formal Harness Training program, please contact us! We are happy to help!
09/25/2026
$250 JUST BECAME $500. THAT’S THE POWER OF GIVING TOGETHER.
A heartfelt thank you to the Lions Clubs International - Oregon & Brooklyn, WI for their generous $250 gift to OccuPaws.
But this September, their generosity goes even further.
Thanks to our generous individual matching donor, that $250 was doubled to $500—turning one act of kindness into twice the impact for our mission.
Every dollar helps move a future guide dog one step closer to the person who will one day place their trust in that harness—opening the door to greater independence, confidence, and mobility.
And September isn’t over yet.
There is still time to do good—and have your good go TWICE as far.
Give $25 → $50 for OccuPaws
Give $50 → $100 for OccuPaws
Give $100 → $200 for OccuPaws
Whatever the amount, your gift matters. And right now, it matters twice.
Thank you to the Lions Club of Oregon & Brooklyn and our incredible matching donor for showing what can happen when a community comes together around one mission.
Your gift. Doubled. Your impact. Multiplied.
Advancing Independence Together. 🐾
09/21/2026
HAVE A BRAT FOR OCCUPAWS AT PECK’S BRAT FRY ON SEP 27!
Make a day of it at Peck's Farm Market East and stop by the OccuPaws Brat Fry!
Grab a brat and enjoy a full day of fall family fun at Peck’s—visit the farm animals, browse the markets, take a horse-drawn wagon ride, brave the haunted house, find your way through the corn maze, and more!
Even better, proceeds from the brat fry will also be matched, making your support go 2X further!
Come for the fall fun. Stay for the brats. Support OccuPaws.
's Farm Market East
09/20/2026
🐾 COME SAY HI TO OCCUPAWS IN MEQUON! 🩵
OccuPaws will be heading to Fromm PetFest Pop-Up at Foxtown Station in Mequon!
📅 Saturday, September 26
⏰ 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
📍 Foxtown Station | Mequon
If you’re coming to that side of town, swing by the OccuPaws booth and say hi! Meet some of our puppy raisers and guide dogs in training, learn more about what we do, and find out how you can get involved.
We’d love to see you there!
09/20/2026
🐾 WARNING: EXTREME PUPPY CUTENESS AHEAD! 🐾
Everyone, meet Zinnia, the newest little GDiT to join the OccuPaws family!
Zinnia came to us from Lakeside Labradors in Michigan, bringing along those ridiculously floppy ears, those BIG puppy paws, and a face that practically says, “Please pick me up and cuddle me!”
Seriously… HOW do you resist this face?!
If looking at Zinnia makes you want to scoop her up, give her a big cuddly hug, and squeeze all that puppy cuteness, we may have just the volunteer job for you.
Become an OccuPaws Puppy Raiser! You’ll get plenty of puppy cuddles, kisses, goofy moments, and oversized paws along the way—but you'll also play an important role in helping a puppy like Zinnia grow, learn, and prepare for a future of changing someone’s life as a guide dog.
The cuddles are pretty great.
The purpose behind them is even greater.
Want to raise a future guide dog?
Learn more about becoming an OccuPaws Puppy Raiser: https://occupaws.org/how-to-help/become-a-puppy-raiser/
Not able to raise a puppy, but still want to support a little pup like Zinnia? Your donation helps OccuPaws raise, train, and place guide dogs free of charge with people who are visually impaired. Make a gift to support OccuPaws puppies and guide dogs: https://occupaws.networkforgood.com/projects/304130-support-occupaws
Welcome to the OccuPaws family, sweet Zinnia! We can't wait to watch those BIG puppy paws grow into an even bigger purpose.
YOUR GIFT STILL GOES 2X FURTHER. 💙🐾
There’s still time to double your impact this National Guide Dog Month!
Through September 30, every gift to OccuPaws will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $30,000, thanks to the generosity of an individual donor.
$25 becomes $50. $50 becomes $100. $100 becomes $200.
Every gift helps OccuPaws raise, train, and place exceptional guide dogs and provide personalized training and ongoing support at no cost to the people we serve in Wisconsin.
Behind every guide dog partnership is a community of donors, volunteers, businesses, and supporters who make it possible.
Will you join them?
Make your tax-deductible gift today and help us turn $30,000 into $60,000 by September 30.
By Wisconsin. For Wisconsin.
Advancing Independence Together. 💙🐾
DONATE: occupaws.networkforgood.com
09/12/2026
Placon Gives Back: Partnership That Makes a Difference 💙🐾
We are incredibly grateful for the continued generosity of Placon Corporation and their commitment to the OccuPaws mission.
Some partnerships go beyond a single gift. They grow through continued support, shared values, and a genuine commitment to making a difference. We are fortunate to have that kind of relationship with Placon.
Their ongoing support helps OccuPaws raise and train exceptional guide dogs and provide our dogs, personalized client training, and ongoing support at no cost to the people we serve in Wisconsin.
Recently, our volunteers and guide dogs in training had the opportunity to visit the Placon team and personally share a little of the mission they have so generously stood behind. Moments like these remind us that behind every corporate gift are people who believe in the work we do.
Thank you, Placon, for being such a dedicated supporter of OccuPaws and for continuing to invest in greater independence for fellow Wisconsinites.
By Wisconsin. For Wisconsin.
Advancing Independence Together.
09/10/2026
🐾 A NEW CHAPTER FOR JUNO! 🐾
We’re excited to share a special update about Juno!
Our 15-month-old Black Labrador Retriever has officially joined the breeding program at Helping Paws, Inc., where she will serve as a breeding dam and help shape future generations of assistance dogs.
Through the Assistance Dogs International International Breeding Cooperative, accredited organizations like OccuPaws and Helping Paws work together to share strong genetics, knowledge, and best practices. These partnerships help build a healthier, stronger future for assistance dogs—and ultimately help more people experience greater independence.
While Juno may be starting a new chapter with our friends at Helping Paws, she’ll always be part of the OccuPaws family. We are incredibly proud of this special girl and the important role she now has ahead of her.
Wishing you all the best, Juno! We can’t wait to see the difference you—and one day, your puppies—will make. 💙🐾
09/09/2026
🐾 PAWSITIVE NEWS – Real Stories. Real Impact. 🐾
What does independence look like? Sometimes, it looks like an ordinary walk to work—with an extraordinary partner by your side.
In this month’s Pawsitive Pawsletter Client Spotlight, meet Kim & Guide Dog Norman and discover how their partnership has brought greater confidence, independence, and trust to Kim’s everyday life.
From their daily walk to work to one critical moment when Norman recognized danger and stopped Kim at a curb, their story shows what happens when training, instinct, and complete trust come together.
But Norman’s journey to Kim didn’t happen alone. Behind every guide dog partnership is an entire community of puppy raisers, volunteers, trainers, and donors who helped make that independence possible.
Read Kim & Norman’s full story in OUR September Pawsitive Pawsletter:
👉 https://conta.cc/45Yvz4I
Then visit occupaws.org to learn how you can volunteer, donate, become a puppy raiser, or support our mission and help create more life-changing guide dog partnerships.
Love stories like this? Stay connected with OccuPaws! Subscribe to the Pawsitive Pawsletter for client stories, puppy updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and exclusive videos delivered straight to your inbox each month.
👉 occupaws.org/newsletter-signup/
09/08/2026
💚💛🩵 Advancing Independence Together 🐾
We’re excited to share that OccuPaws Guide Dog Association is a 2026 Green Bay Packers Foundation grant recipient!
This generous support will help us continue doing what we do right here in Wisconsin—raising, training and placing exceptional guide dogs at no cost to Wisconsinites who are visually impaired.
Behind every working guide dog are countless hours of training, dedicated volunteers and a community that believes greater independence should be within reach. Support like this helps make that possible.
A heartfelt thank you to the Green Bay Packers Foundation for their commitment to Wisconsin communities and their generous support of organizations like ours.
From one Wisconsin team to another—thank you for helping us advance independence together! 🩵 💚💛🐾
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
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PO Box 45857
Madison, WI
53744