Meet Nacho – Israel Guide Dog Center

Giving Fund Recipient

In Spring of 2023, RIA decided that our giving fund recipient would be the Canadian Friends of the Israel Guide Dog Center. This decision was due to the suggestion from one of our associate lawyers, Golan Yaron, who had seen firsthand the incredible impact of their work.

The Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind (IGDCB) is dedicated to improving the quality of life of visually impaired and post-trauma Israelis. IGDCB helps to these individuals with regaining their independence through mobility, self-confidence and companionship with the assistance of specially trained guide dogs. Established in 1991, the Israel Guide Dog Center caters to the needs of 24,000 blind and visually impaired individuals in Israel, holding the distinction of being the sole guide dog program in the country with international accreditation.

When selecting the recipient of our giving fund we decided on the “Naming A Puppy” program in which a $5,000 sponsorship helps with the care of IGDCB’s puppies, the operation of the training campus and supporting the puppy’s journey to a guide dog, PTSD service dog, emotional support dog or ambassador dog.

Our team voted on the name, Nacho!

We knew that this contribution would make a meaningful difference for those in need and were thrilled to support such a worthy cause!

Pupdates

With the “Naming A Puppy” sponsorship we are lucky to be able to received regular updates and photos of Nacho throughout his growth.

April 2023: Nacho was born on April 21, 2023 and is a male Yellow Labrador.

       

May 2023: His parents are named Stacy & Shoko. As he starts to grow he will be trained as either a Guide Dog, Emotional Support Dog, PTSD Support Dog, or Ambassador Dog.

June 2023: Nacho now has a trainer named Nitzan who will begin teaching him suitable behaviours for a guide dog. During this year, Nacho will undergo basic training by being exposed to everyday life, including traveling by train or bus, learning not to be scared of noises, ignoring cats, sitting in cafes, and more. Not to mention receiving plenty of love and affection!

July 2023: Nacho has been growing fast and with his trainer Nitzan’s help he is learning everything there is to know about being a guide dog. By the end of 2023 he will be able to start helping blind and post-trauma individuals regain their independence. From basic commands to navigating new environments, it’s incredible to see him hit his milestones!

October 2023: Nacho has grown into a friendly, curious and energetic puppy who loves to meet and play with people and other dogs, especially other guide puppies. Everyone who has met Nacho falls in love with him, you can’t resist his eyes when he looks at you! Nacho loves cuddles and belly rubs and he knows exactly how to let people know that. As a true Labrador, he really, really, really loves food!

These days, Nacho and Nitzan, together with other puppy raisers, meet with children that were evacuated from the towns and kibbutzim near Gaza. It’s amazing to see the effect these puppies have on the children who have seen horrors.

Nacho update October 2023

January 2024: Nacho is progressing nicely with his training program. He knows many more commands since the last pupdate. He accompanies Nitzan, his puppy raiser, to lectures at the University. He sits next to her without interrupting and sometimes it feels like he really listens and understands the material 😊

Last pupdate we learned that Nacho visits children who were evicted from their homes near the Gaza border. Since then, he also started visiting soldiers in their bases, wounded soldiers in
hospitals and the families of the kidnapped who sit together at the “kidnapped square” in Tel Aviv.

Nacho is such a good dog with kids. When Nitzan brought Nacho home for the first time, her nephew Ziv was afraid of him. Even though Nacho was a cute little puppy, Ziv did not approach him. At the beginning of the war, Ziv spent a lot of time with Nitzan and Nacho, they took a lot of long walks together and slowly, at first when Nitzan held Nacho, he petted him. When Ziv’s father came back home from the reserves, Ziv was thrilled to show him how he hugs Nacho. So cute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 2024: Time really flies – Nacho just celebrated his first birthday! We wish him health and happiness in the year ahead.

Nacho will likely come back to the Center for evaluation within the next two months. After that, we will decide which career path works best for him.If he goes into training, it could take up to six months until graduation as a service or guide dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 2024: Nacho is back!

Nacho has returned to the center after more than a year with his puppy raiser.

Now that he is back, they will assess him to see what is the right career track for him:

  • Guide Dog for a visually impaired or blind person
  • PTSD Dog for an Army veteran
  • Emotional Support Dog for adults and children with special needs
  • Ambassador Dog

We will update with the assessment results as soon as they are determined. Watch this video for more information about the assessment process.

 

November 2024: Nacho’s assessment update!

We are so happy to share that Nacho aced his assessment at the Center, and has now entered GUIDE DOG TRAINING. He is poised to become a real hero.

It will take him about six months to train for his big mission. All of their trainers use positive reinforcement and the clicker method.

We will be kept posted on his progress!

 

Follow us on Instagram @FamilyLLB for more of Nacho’s Pupdates!