UPCOMING EVENTSto benefit  ________________
Furry Friends Fashion Show on El Paseo. Friday, March 22, 2013 4pm to 6pm ____________________
Desert Dog RunMotorcycle Ride April 6, 2013 9am - 2 pm Guide Dogs of the Desert ________________
April Graduation Sunday April 14th Ceremony begins at 2pm ________________
A Bunco AfternoonApril 21, 2013 Event begins 2pm Promptly Grand Terrace Lions Facility __________________ May GraduationMay 19, 2013 2pm Guide Dogs of the Desert ______________ Colorado Guide DogPoker Run Colorado Springs, CO June 8, 2013 Visit our website
or call 760-329-6257
for more event detailsVISIT OUR PHOTO GALLERY  Volunteer Receptionists Needed at the Guide Dogs of the Desert Wellness Center. Monday and Wednesday between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm. Hours are flexible. On Sundays we could use a hand in cleaning kennels. Our Administration office is seeking a volunteer receptionist on Fridays. If you can assist with all or part of these days and times, please call Patti Wheeler at 760-413-4442 or email at pwheeler@gddca.org  Our 2013 calendars are still available for purchase!Get one now for only $5.00! Call us and order yours today. 760-329-6257  Guide Dogs of the Desert would like to thank our sponsors for their support
    Board of Directors
Bob Niez - Chair Cynthia Woods - Vice Chair Randy Browning, MD Secretary Jim Klocek - Treasurer Board Members
Raymond McLeanAlbert T. Milauskas, MDLeonard Sigdestad, DVMHonorary Board Members
Arnold and Kit PalmerJames GarnerPeter MarshallDick Van PattenTom SullivanBetty WhiteOur Staff
Management Team
Kim LaidlawExecutive Director Trina BeganDeputy Executive Director and Director of Canine Development Curt BergeronDirector of Operations Bob WendlerDirector of Canine Operations Adminstration
Mary DeanAdmissions Coordinator and Dorm Manager Linda SamulskiStudent Services & Community Outreach Debbie Sloss-CoyleData Base Manager Marjorie GriffithPart-Time
Administrative AssistantShean PaoCreative Manager Kennel
Jennifer PinderKennel Manager
Angela Coleman
Kennel Technician
Cheri DuncanKennel Technician Mike McCulloughKennel Technician
Emily GoodlandApprentice Guide Dog Mobility Instructor and Orientation & Mobility Instructor Michal Anna PadillaLicensed Guide Dog Mobility Instructor and Orientation & Mobility Instructor Lori MillerManager of Canine Development
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Betty White meets Sammee,
guide dog pup-in-training
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Betty, Sammee and Jennifer
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Betty White received our Hero of a Lifetime achievement award at our 2012 Heroes Brunch. Betty is the naming sponsor of a male black labrador retriever born on December 21, 2012. Through our Every Hero Needs a Name campaign, she named him Sammee. Betty got to meet Sammee recently when we took a trip down to Studio City to the set of "Hot in Cleveland" where Betty and her cast members were filming that day. Here is Betty with Jennifer Pinder, who is Sammee's puppy raiser.  | |
Stage Door to the Hot in Cleveland Set
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For more information on naming a
Hero guide dog puppy, please
visit our website
or call us at 760-329-6257
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Join us for our Troy P. Dunne Memorial Ride, with five poker stops venturing up Hwy 74 through Idyllwild, and ending at The Owen Coffman Post 519 American Legion in Palm Springs. There will be live music by Josh Ballard and Burning Bettie, delicious BBQ for sale by Lowbelly BBQ, lots of fun raffles, and vendors too!
LET'S RIDE!
APRIL 6th, 2013
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Notification of Donations
In an effort to conserve trees, and in light of the recent increase in postage, for all donations less than 25.00, we will no longer be sending thank you letters in the mail. We will however provide you with a year-end summary of all your donations for tax purposes. Please call Debbie Coyle at 760-329-6257 for this summary.
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Trina's March Tips for our Canine Friends
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DONATE YOUR UNUSED MILES
Our licensed guide dog trainers travel to clients with their guide dogs. Do you have unused or unwanted miles? Please donate them to Guide Dogs of the Desert! Call us at 760-329-6257 or email us at info@gddca.org
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First Retinal Implant For Rare Eye Disease Approved By FDA
The first retinal implant, the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, received approval to treat a rare genetic eye disease.
The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved the device to help adult patients with advanced retinitis pigmentosa (RP) regain some sense of vision.
The device consists of:
- a small video camera
- video processing unit (VPU)
- transmitter mounted on a pair of eyeglasses
- artificial retina (implanted retinal prosthesis)
The function of degenerated cells in the retina, a membrane inside the eye, becomes replaced with the device, and the ability to perceive images and movement improves.
The video camera images are transformed into electronic data by the VPU that is wirelessly transmitted to the retinal prosthesis.
The light-sensitive cells that line the retina become harmed with the rare condition known as retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Normally, in people with no eye problems, light rays are altered into electrical impulses by these cells and then are sent through the optic nerve to the part of the brain that turns the impulses into an image.
Jeffrey Shuren, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said:
This new surgically-implanted assistive device provides an option for patients who have lost their sight to RP - for whom there have been no FDA-approved treatments. The device may help adults with RP who have lost the ability to perceive shapes and movement to be more mobile and to perform day-to-day activities.
The device is meant for people older than 25 years of age who have serious to profound RP with bare light perception (meaning that they can perceive light; however, they cannot tell from which direction it comes) or no light perception in both eyes, proof of undamaged inner layer retina function, and were once able to see forms.
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Happy Easter Tips
 Easter is March 31st this year. Keep Easter lilies and candy bunnies away from your four legged pets. Chocolate goodies are toxic to cats, dogs, birds and ferrets. Lilies can be fatal if ingested by our furry friends. And be mindful, kitties love to nibble on colorful plastic grass, which can lead to an obstructed digestive tract, severe vomiting and dehydration. Moreover, while bunnies, chicks and other festive animals are adorable, resist the urge to buy them-these cute babies grow up fast and often require specialized care!
Pets enjoying the outdoors
Please remember we should never leave a dog tied up outside in any weather. Dogs should be outside in a yard when someone is home to observe them. Pools, snakes, pesticides, gardeners, other animals all pose deadly risks to animals left unattended in back yards. Remember, our guide dog puppies should NEVER be left outside unattended.
Buckle Up!
While every pet parent thinks dogs love to feel the wind on their furry faces, allowing them to ride in the bed of pick-up trucks or stick their heads out of moving-car windows is dangerous. Flying debris and insects can cause inner ear or eye injuries and lung infections, and abrupt stops or turns can cause major injury, or worse! Pets in cars should always be secured in a crate or wearing a seat belt harness designed especially for them. In the state of California it is against the laws to have your animal in the back of a pick up truck unless the animal is in a securely fastened crate.
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P.O. Box 1692
Palm Springs, CA 92263
Guide Dogs of the Desert
Training Facility
60-735 Dillon Road,
Whitewater, CA 92282
Monday - Friday:
8:30am - 4:30pm
Phone: 760-329-6257
Fax: 760-329-2866
Toll free: 888-883-0022
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