Smithtown, N.Y., July 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs today announced the public launch of Building for the Future, a multi-million-dollar, multi-year initiative to build a state-of-the-art Puppy Development & Visitor Center -- a transformational investment that will strengthen the earliest and most critical stages of every guide, service, and facility dog’s journey. Construction of the 30,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to begin this summer, with the building expected to open in 2027-2028. Following a pre-launch period, the public is now invited to learn more, follow progress, and donate at GuideDog.org/Build or VetDogs.org/Build. Watch the Building for the Future video featuring a virtual walkthrough of the new facility and commentary from program graduates.
Over time, the goal of the new Puppy Development & Visitor Center will be to:
- Expand impact by 25%, enabling the organizations to raise, train, and place more puppies as life-changing guide, service, and facility dogs for individuals with disabilities.
- Welcome and unite the community through a 300-person gathering space for public graduations, celebrations, and mission-driven events.
- Prioritize canine health and care with enhanced biosecurity and a modern veterinary suite.
- Engage and educate visitors through hands-on learning experiences for schools, community groups, and the public.
“For every guide, service, and facility dog handler, the road to greater confidence, mobility, and independence begins with a puppy,” said John Miller, president and CEO, Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs. “By investing at the very start of each dog’s journey and allowing the public to more deeply engage in these earliest stages of development, we will strengthen outcomes, meet growing demand with excellence, expand our community of supporters, and ensure our mission thrives for generations to come.”
The Puppy Development & Visitor Center will be located on the Guide Dog Foundation & America’s VetDogs current national headquarters campus in Smithtown, New York, where it has been based since the early 1950s. The Town of Smithtown, led by Supervisor Edward R. Wehrheim, was instrumental in facilitating the project to ensure the organizations could expand in their current location.
“We are excited to see the Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs build upon its long history in Smithtown and enhance its capacity to serve more people with disabilities, including our nation’s veterans and first responders,” said Supervisor Wehrheim, a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Navy. “In addition to supporting the organization’s growth and impact, this project will support economic development with jobs, engage the community through volunteer opportunities, and become a destination for good that will change the lives of people across the country.”
The project’s architectural design is led by Studio Miers | Chou | Poon Architecture, a California-based firm with decades of specialized experience designing animal care, veterinary, humane education, and assistance-dog facilities throughout North America. The firm is collaborating with Chris Downey, principal of Architecture for the Blind, an internationally renowned blind architect and accessibility expert as well as bld Architecture, dpc, an accomplished Long Island architectural firm with more than four decades of experience and deep knowledge of the region. Construction will be led by TRITEC Real Estate Company, one of New York’s most established and respected development and construction firms, which will manage all aspects of construction and bring extensive experience delivering complex, community-focused projects across the region.
The new facility will enhance proven breeding, whelping, nursery, and early development programs—bringing expert staff and best-in-class resources together to give every puppy the healthiest possible start. As an industry leader, the facility will enable responsible growth while maintaining the highest standards of accredited assistance dog training, care, and placement, as recognized by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF).
The Visitor Center will serve as a place of learning, inclusion, and connection. With space to welcome more than 300 guests, it will bring the organizations’ missions to life through Celebration Saturday graduations, interactive experiences, and opportunities for the public to engage with the individuals and dogs we care for and serve. Together, we will help more people with disabilities Live Without Boundaries® through the extraordinary impact of accredited, custom-trained assistance dogs.
“With national reach, dual accreditation, top charity ratings, and 80 years of combined service, those in need of our services can trust that our programs, pups, and people are best-in-class while donors, foundations, partners, volunteers, and staff can invest with confidence in our organizations, which are highly regarded for transparency, integrity, quality, and life-changing impact,” concluded Miller.
About the Guide Dog Foundation & America’s VetDogs
For 80 years, the Guide Dog Foundation (est. 1946) and America’s VetDogs (est. 2003) have transformed lives by providing accredited, custom-trained guide, service, and facility dogs to individuals who are blind, have low vision, or have other disabilities, including veterans, active-duty military, and first responders with physical and emotional disabilities.
It costs more than $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but the organizations provide their services completely free of charge, empowering those they serve to Live Without Boundaries®.
Together, each of these independent sister 501c3 nonprofit organizations have placed more than 3,300 guide, service, and facility dogs; support active teams of people and guide, service, and facility dogs in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Canada, and beyond; and engage more than 1,400 volunteers annually. Accredited by Assistance Dogs International and the International Guide Dog Federation, both organizations earn the top ratings from the leading charitable watchdog organizations, including Candid, Charity Navigator, and the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. Learn more and how to apply, volunteer, and donate at GuideDog.org or VetDogs.org.
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