Guide Dogs’ Public Graduations Melt Hearts: Here’s How You Can Attend

People of all ages are welcome at GDB’s graduation ceremonies, which mark the start of new, life-changing partnerships for the dogs and their humans. photo: Guide Dogs for the Blind

If you’re looking for a unique outing with family, friends, or simply on your own, why not treat yourself to a Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) graduation? Every other Saturday, GDB holds ceremonies to celebrate its graduates and volunteers at its California campus in San Rafael. The events are free and the public is welcome. It’s a chance to experience this organization’s life-changing mission in action. 

The graduation ceremonies honor the enhanced independence and companionship that GDB’s specially trained dogs provide for the organization’s clients, all of whom are blind or visually impaired. These events have been known to inspire tears in even the most stoic audiences, as canine graduates proudly take the stage along with those who helped them get there. 

On these special days, GDB’s clients have the chance to meet the volunteer puppy raisers who cared for their canine heroes prior to their formal training at GDB’s campus. In addition to recognizing puppy raisers, the ceremonies also salute recent graduates of GDB’s Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Program, K9 Buddy Program recipients, and dogs selected to join GDB’s Breeder Dog Program, as well as their breeder custodians.

People of all ages are welcome at GDB’s graduation ceremonies, which mark the start of new, life-changing partnerships for the dogs and their humans. Clients speak about how their new dog is going to help them live the life they want to live, while puppy raisers have the opportunity to sing the praises of the young pups they raised and nurtured. O&M graduates and K9 Buddy recipients also share their personal stories that led them to their own graduation days.

How Does Puppy Raising Work?

Every person who participates in a GDB program dog’s journey is considered part of the GDB family, including the volunteer puppy raisers who are a dog’s first step on the road to graduation. These are the selfless folks who care for puppies from two months to about 15 months, nurturing them, teaching them good manners, and exposing them to a range of socialization activities to prepare them in their journey to eventually become guide dogs, K9 Buddies, or GDB breeder dogs. Clearly, it takes a special person to devote so much love to a young dog, knowing they will give them up in a little over a year. But understanding the puppy’s greater purpose as a guide dog makes it all worthwhile. 

GDB currently offers puppy raising programs in nine Western states. Raising a guide dog puppy can be a warm-and-fuzzy volunteer project - not to mention a lot of fun - and no prior experience is required. Volunteers range from age nine to 90, and families are also welcome to raise puppies as a unit.

There are different ways to raise puppies for GDB. The traditional route is to join a local puppy club where volunteers are members of a community of puppy raisers. GDB also offers a hybrid program, combining virtual and in-person workshops, as an alternative way to raise and help puppies on their journey. GDB covers all veterinary services for the puppies in the program and provides learning materials to help volunteers throughout the experience.

Puppy raising is a great way to meet other kind, dedicated people who support one another with the collective goal of getting their puppies ready for formal training, also known as “puppy college.” That’s when prospective young guide dogs return to GDB’s campus for roughly three months of highly specialized formal training by GDB professional trainers before eventually being paired with a person who is blind or visually impaired. Then it’s on to the graduation ceremony and a life of service for these amazing dogs, helping their new humans navigate the world with companionship and joy.

How to Attend a Graduation

Beginning on April 4, GDB’s 2026 public graduation ceremonies will be held at 1:30 p.m. every other Saturday at GDB’s headquarters at 350 Los Ranchitos Road in San Rafael. Admission is free, tissues are provided, and pre-registered bus groups are welcome. Public tours of the campus are also offered on the days of the ceremonies. For the full graduation schedule, visit graduations.

Can’t make it in person? Graduation events are also livestreamed on YouTube.  

And if the powerful testimonials you hear from GDB clients and volunteers makes you want to get more involved, we’ve got you covered. Just visit guidedogs.com for more information about the many ways you can help change lives.

Hope to see you at a graduation ceremony soon!