Guiding Eyes for the Blind, the Yorktown Heights-based non-profit that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss, is building a new Wellness & Training center that will enable it to train more dogs – and help more people.
“This is an incredibly exciting new chapter for Guiding Eyes as the Wellness & Training Center will expand our ability to fulfill our mission,” said Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Beth Brenninkmeyer. “Our current facility can no longer keep pace with the size, scope and demands of our work.”
Over the past 70+ years, Guiding Eyes has graduated more than 10,000 guide dog teams, and it places more than 155 dogs annually – with the help of more than 2,000 volunteers.
The new 47,000-square-foot facility, located on a 12-acre property just two miles from the current Yorktown Heights campus, will enable
Guiding Eyes to provide more dogs to people who need them, on a timely basis. “Approximately 200 people who are blind are waiting to receive their Guiding Eyes guide dog, with delays of up to two years due to limited capacity,” said Brenninkmeyer. “The new center will allow us to train and place more dogs, meaning more individuals living with vision loss will gain the life-changing partnership of a guide dog.”
Along with its facility in Yorktown Heights, Guiding Eyes operates an Urban Training Center in White Plains, and a Canine Development Center in Patterson. If you’ve walked around in White Plains, you’ve likely seen dog training teams in action in an urban environment.
Construction on the new Health & Wellness facility started in early 2025, and it’s expected to be ready in the fall of 2026.
“Upon opening in 2026, we will be able to house up to 180 dogs with a future capacity of up to 220 guide dogs in training – a 45% capacity increase,” adds Brenninkmeyer.
The new center will feature a long list of services and amenities including a cutting-edge veterinary facility, simulated real-life training rooms to engage in dog enrichment, socialization, and training, multipurpose areas for indoor training and public visitations, and a dedicated intake area to ensure that all new dogs receive health exams before meeting others.
“The Wellness & Training Center will house our full veterinary hospital team, ensuring every dog receives the highest level of medical care, and our expert trainers, who will prepare dogs for their life-changing work as guide dogs,” said Brenninkmeyer. “Volunteers will also play a vital role in the space by supporting the staff and enhancing enrichment activities.”
Brenninkmeyer says Guiding Eyes is making a “significant financial commitment” to fund the project, with the help of “dedicated donors and the philanthropic community” also helping to raise money for the facility.
Guiding Eyes has trained thousands of dogs over the years, but not all of them graduate. “Fifty-five percent of dogs that enter training become guide dogs,” said Brenninkmeyer.
The dogs that don’t graduate become family pets. “They are released from our program and placed in loving homes through public adoption. These loving, impeccably bred puppies and dogs are in high demand but are well worth the wait.” While some dogs go into adoption, some pursue other important careers such as working in detection, with law enforcement, or in airport security.
Brenninkmeyer also says the new facility will help Guiding Eyes to expand its scope.
“The center is more than a building – it’s a transformation that will multiply our impact and elevate every facet of our mission.”
