Guide Dogs of America with Stephanie Colman & Mike Steinmetz

Here is the Mission of Guide Dogs of America:

Guide Dogs of America empowers people who are blind and visually impaired to live with increased independence, confidence and mobility by providing expertly matched guide dog partners. Our services are provided free of charge and available to people within the U.S. and Canada.

I will be having 2 guests from GDA. Stephanie Colman and Mike Steinmetz.

Stephanie is the puppy program coordinator at Guide Dogs of America.  She recruits, manages and supports the organization's volunteer puppy raisers who lovingly foster future guide dog prospects.  Stephanie brings a unique professional background to GDA, having spent more than 20 years as a professional dog trainer, a freelance journalist, and a non-profit communications consultant.  Each of these skills greatly support her efforts in the puppy department.  When she's not helping puppies find perfect foster homes with dedicated puppy raisers, you'll often find her hiking and training her own dog, Saber, a spunky Golden Retriever.  She's always ready to "talk dog" with prospective puppy raisers, and is eager to welcome new volunteers to the program.   

Mike was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. He is married to his wife Margo, and has three adult kids. Mike has been a volunteer "puppy raiser" for Guide Dogs of America since November 2015. He has raised two puppies for GDA - Jazzy and Astro. Mike became involved with GDA as two of his brothers are visually impaired and have received guide dogs from GDA. Mike enjoys fishing and watching baseball games for relaxation.Here is an opportunity to learn about GDA.