Community & Charities
Rehabilitation Services
Jockey Club supports establishment of education and guide dog training centre to promote social inclusion
06/10/2018
Guide dogs are professionally-trained dogs provided to blind or visually impaired people who choose to benefit from the enhanced mobility, safety and companionship that these animals can offer.
In view of the shortage of trained guide dogs in Hong Kong, the Club’s Charities Trust has granted the Hong Kong Guide Dogs Association (HKGDA) funding to establish the Jockey Club Education and Training Centre, which provides professional guide dog breeding, raising, training and matching services, as well as animal therapy services for students with special needs. In addition, the Centre organises public education programmes to raise the community’s acceptance of the use of guide dogs.
The Jockey Club Education and Training Centre is located at Tsui Ping (South) Estate, Kwun Tong. The 5,000-foot Centre is equipped with a dog training area, a puppy training room, animal therapy room, and dog bath and grooming room. It provides training for guide dogs, visually impaired people, foster families and volunteers, and offers services matching trained dogs with people in need.
Some dogs will be trained as service dogs for animal therapy targeting children with special needs, for example to enhance the physical, mental and social competence of autistic children. The Centre will be able to train about 12 guide dogs a year, with the first cohort expected to start service by the end of 2018.
