Spotlight on Assistance Dogs

Presented by Devon from Canada

Airs The 3rd Friday of the month at 17:30 UTC, repeated Saturday at 06:30 UTC and Monday at 16:30 UTC

Join Devon for a busy half-hour of articles and music about assistance dogs.

Recent Shows

October 2025

September 2025

First, we chat with Dar Wournell, president of Guide Dog Users of Canada about that organization’s Annual General Meeting which is coming up this weekend. Still staying with Canada, we’ll take a moment to commemorate National Guide Dog Access Awareness Month.

August 2025

This month, we sit back and enjoy a bit of old-time radio from December 2, 1936. It’s an episode of Cavalcade of America called The Story of The Seeing Eye. With any luck, Assistance Dogs International will some day arrange for a dramatization of the first hearing or service dog.

July 2025

It’s July now, but the first week of August, International Assistance Dog Week, is right around the corner. In this episode, the week’s founder Marcie Davis and I chat about the origins of the week, and how you can go about planning celebrations in your very own community, thus increasing valuable awareness of the work of the various types of assistance dogs.

June 2025

Ben Francis is the director of training at CNIB Guide Dogs in Canada. One of the lectures that he presents covers a dog’s five senses. This month, we hear the second part of that lecture, first played here in August of 2024.

May 2025

Ben Francis is the director of training at CNIB Guide Dogs in Canada. One of the lectures that he presents covers a dog’s five senses. This month, we hear the first part of that lecture, first played here in July of 2024.

April 2025

Last month, we heard from older veterans about how they helped to advance the guide dog movement after the world wars. This month, we listen to the second part of the presentation from younger veterans about how guide and service dogs continue to make it possible for them to live their lives more comfortably.

March 2025

There are so many issues competing for our attention these days that it isn’t hard to forget to pause to think about the major contributions that veterans from both world wars played in advancing the guide dog movement. This month, let’s listen to the first part of a presentation called Thank You, Patriots.

February 2025

In this episode of Spotlight on Assistance Dogs from February of 2022, we hear a lecture on how important it is to maintain the health of our dogs’ teeth and gums. Apparently, decaying teeth and gum infections are every bit as common in dogs as they are in people, but with a little care, we could improve both conditions dramatically.

January 2025

We often hear stories, and even the occasional song about how guide dogs bring positive change to their handlers’ lives. In this episode of Spotlight on Assistance Dogs from January, 2020, we hear about the many tasks that service dogs can and do perform.

December 2024

This month, we revisit an episode of Spotlight on Assistance Dogs from December of 2021. The songs and stories, though, remain as fresh as ever, and they bring you warmest wishes for a very merry Christmas, and the best of health and happiness for 2025.

November 2024

In July of 2020, pet massage therapist Katie Mertons did a presentation for members of Guide Dog Users Inc. The information she passed along was as useful for people with well-loved pets as it is for those with well-trained guide and service dogs.

October 2024

Shortly after our late colleague, Ivy Temple joined The Global Voice, she was a guest on this program, and we talked at length about the differences and similarities of guide dog training in both the United Kingdom and Canada.


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