Resources to help Educate kids about guide dogs
In this post I am hoping to give teachers of all students resources on how to educate their students on guide dogs and other service animals.
Eve laying down with guide dog books behind her.
Educational Videos:
The Seeing Eye Children’s video: In this video it gives a basic understanding of what it takes to become a seeing eye dog told in child friendly language. This is a great video geared toward elementary age students.
Guide at Work: This video from the Seeing Eye tells the journey of a guide dog from the dog's perspective. This is a great video for all ages because it also gives the do’s and don'ts when encountering a guide dog team in public.
The Journey of a Guiding Eyes Dog: In this video by Guiding Eyes for the Blind they go into great detail of the journey of a guide dog including, where they are born, the importance of home socialization, the role of a puppy raiser, the in for training test, other options besides guide work, and formal guide dog training. This is a good video for older children and adults.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind- Guide Dogs 101: In this Guiding Eyes for the blind article, they cover some of the most commonly asked questions about guide dogs including, what is a guide dog?, the differences between guide dogs and ESA’s, Training process, etc.
The Seeing Eye On this page it gives a little bit of the history of The seeing Eye, while also giving the stages that one Seeing Eye dog may go through to become a Seeing Eye dog.
Books:
I Love Vincent by Laura Ljunkvist by Laura Ljungkvist: In I Love Vincent, readers spend a fun-filled day with Scout, a seeing-eye dog, and his human, Vincent, who is blind. Follow the pair across the city and home again through vibrant and stylish illustrations by acclaimed author/artist, Laura Ljungkvist. This book is great for ages 4-8 years old. For those needing access to accessible copies, this book can be found on CD from Amazon.
Rossi Guides the Way: A Guide Dog Graphic Novel (Service Pups in Training) Author: Mari Bolte illistrator: Alan Brown Smart, dependable Rossi is eager to become guide dog in this early graphic novel. This yellow lab is focused and ready to lead the way. But even Rossi is distracted on a field trip to the pet store! Will one bad outing make Rossi lose all his confidence? For ages 4-8 years. This book can be found in an accessible format on Bookshare.
Buddy: The First Seeing Eye Dog Author: Eva Moore illustrator Don Bolognese Learn about Buddy, the first seeing eye dog in America! Kids will love learning about the history of seeing eye dogs in this bestselling Level 3 reader format! This is for ages 4 to 8 years old. This book can also be found in an accessible format on Bookshare.
Looking out for Sarah by Glenna Lang (Author, Illustrator): In this story of friendship, loyalty, and trust, readers spend a day in the life of Sarah and her guide dog, Perry. Perry helps Sarah go shopping, to the post office, and take the train to school. Sarah, a blind musician and teacher, entertains the children and tells them about the time she and Perry walked from Boston to New York to show the world what a blind person can accomplish with the help of a guide dog like Perry. This book is for ages 4-8 years old. For those needing the book in accessible formats it can be found on Bookshare.
Am Ingrid: The Adventures of the World’s Greatest Guide Dog by Aria Mia Loberti; Illustrator: Vivienne To: Ingrid knows she is fabulous. She flies around the world with her person, Aria. Working as a team, they navigate everything from college classes and ancient ruins to movie sets and red carpets. And Ingrid never goes anywhere without her string of pearls. But before Ingrid was the best guide dog there ever was, she was just a small, black puppy with very big paws. For ages 4-8. At this writing, this book comes out October 21st, 2025, so I am unsure if this book will be able to be accessed in accessible formats.
Ella Jones and the Sun Stealers by Lucy Edwards: 12-year-old Ella Jones has been blind for two years and is navigating her new world with the help of her guide dog Maisie, her sister Poppy and her best friend Finn. One day, on a visit to central London with her family, a light in the world is suddenly extinguished, causing panic and chaos as people are plunged into pitch black. A pagan god of light, Lugh, has been released from his millennium-old-prison by a shadowy villain and, out for revenge on humans, has brought darkness down on the world. But Ella is the hero the world needs: she is used to living her life in darkness every day, and is able to keep calm and work out a plan to defeat Lugh and return light to the world. For ages 9-12. This book can be found in accessible formats from Audible and Kindle.
Raising Lumie By Joan Bauer. Olive Hudson desperately wants a dog. But that doesn't seem to be a possibility right now. Newly orphaned, she's moving in with the half sister she hardly knows and their life is too chaotic to include a dog. But then something wonderful happens: Olive gets a chance to raise Lumie, a guide dog puppy. Discipline. Rules. Lots of hugs. Only the best of the best puppies continue on to become guide dogs, and of course Olive wants Lumie to be chosen. But if she is, that means that Olive will lose her. This is a book for those aged 10 to 13. This book can also be found in an accessible format on Bookshare or Audible.
I am Sammy, Trusted Guide by Catherine Stier (Author), Francesca Rosa (Illustrator): Spend a day in the life of a guide dog! Sammy the golden retriever has a big job. Because his owner is visually impaired, Sammy needs to keep a constant watch of their surroundings. And in the city, there is a lot to notice - and a lot of potential distractions, too. Told from the dog's perspective, this story also includes back matter about the breed and role of the working dog. This book is appropriate for ages 7 to 10 years old. This book can also be found in an accessible format on Bookshare.
Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma: Haben defines disability as an opportunity for innovation. She learned non-visual techniques for everything from dancing salsa to handling an electric saw. She developed a text-to-braille communication system that created an exciting new way to connect with people. Haben pioneered her way through obstacles, graduated from Harvard Law, and now uses her talents to advocate for people with disabilities. This is a great book for late middle school and older readers. This book can be found in accessible formats on either Audible or Bookshare. If you choose the Audible option, you will get an added treat, as Girma reads the book.
Kika & Me: How One Extraordinary Guide Dog Changed My World by Amit Patel: Amit Patel is working as a trauma doctor when a rare condition causes him to lose his sight within thirty-six hours. Totally dependent on others and terrified of stepping outside with a white cane after he's assaulted, he hits rock bottom. He refuses to leave home on his own for three months. With the support of his wife Seema he slowly adapts to his new situation, but how could life ever be the way it was? Then his guide dog Kika comes along . . . This is a great book for high school or older readers. This book can be found in an accessible format on both Bookshare or Audible.
TEN: Overcoming Our Greatest Fear, with the Love of Dogs by Thomas Panek: TEN chronicles Panek’s remarkable journey from despair to triumph. Now a marathon record holder, CEO, and happily married father of four, he forged a path out of that darkness, with dogs leading the way. TEN is an uplifting memoir that will appeal to dog lovers, athletes, people whose lives are impacted by disability, and anyone who loves a heartwarming coming-of-age tale. Now more than ever, we need stories of hope, and books that show us that determination and love can help us overcome even our greatest fears. This is a great book for high school and older readers. This book can be found in accessible formats on both Audible or Kindle books.
Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust by Michael Hingson: First came the boom - the loud, deep, unapologetic bellow that seemed to erupt from the very core of the Earth. Eerily, the majestic high-rise slowly leaned to the south. On the 78th floor of the World Trade Center's north tower, no alarms sounded, and no one had information about what had happened at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001 - what should have been a normal workday for thousands of people. All that was known to the people inside was what they could see out the windows: smoke and fire and millions of pieces of burning paper and other debris falling through the air. This is a great book for high school or older readers. This book can be found in an accessible format from Audible or Bookshare.
Toys and other Realia:
Guide Dog, Harness and Cane from Lakeshore Learning: This guide dog and cane from Lakeshore Learning is a great tool to accompany a story about guide dogs if you do not have access to a blind or low vision person who uses a cane or guide dog. In addition to the cane and guide dog Lakeshore Learning has a whole kit of toys that represent different disability groups.
Guide dog stuffed animals from the individual dog guide programs: At various schools that provide dog guides they have dog guide stuffed animals. Some programs that offer such stuffed animals in their gift shops are Guide Dogs for the Blind, The Seeing Eye, Guide Dog Foundation, Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, and Guiding Eyes for the Blind, but if one wishes to purchase from Guiding Eyes, they must call them directly to order.
Learning Activities:
Guide Dogs in Action Educational Series: This lesson plan, created by a long-time puppy raiser and retired teacher, includes two 30-minute modules for the classroom geared towards grades 2-3. The plan is designed to complement the Guide Dogs in Action Educational series.
Resources for Five to 11 year olds: Guide Dogs UK offers two modules to help educate children ages 5 to 11 years old on the roles of guide dogs and how to spot the difference, with lesson plans. In addition to these modules Guide Dogs UK offers an educational video series through their YouTube channel.
Resources for 11-16 year olds: This Guide dogs UK educational series offers three modules to help educate children ages 11-16 years old about those who live with blindness or low vision. In the first module it goes into eye conditions and definitions. This section may have to be adapted to meet the United States definitions on blindness and low vision. In the second module it goes into the assumptions and stereotypes of those who are blind or low vision. In the third module it encourages educators to create activities that can be done without sight to show how losing one's vision may change the way one does everyday tasks, but they are not impossible to complete.
ADA Service Dog Research Questions, Small Animal Science: In this Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) resource 29 questions are asked about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the different types of working dogs, and the differences between true service animals and Emotional Support Animals (ESA)’s. This activity is best suited for 9th-12th grade. This item does cost $2.50 on TpT.
Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB): GDB offers a packet of worksheets including a crossword puzzle, Origami dog project, solve the braille riddle, word search, etc for elementary age students.
The E.C.C and Me: One of the many lessons on The E.C.C and Me that Stacey Chambers offers has to do with guide dog etiquette specifically for blind and low vision children.
