If you don’t have to think about it, it’s easy to believe a guide dog is the helping hand that appears just when needed in the life of a vision-impaired person. The reality is both more complex and life changing. For almost 50 years, Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB) has been at the heart of the training and provision of guide and assistance dogs in Ireland.
CEO Tim O’Mahony FCCA, who has previously worked in a range of commercial sectors in the UK and Ireland, explains that a sense of self-empowerment has run through the organisation from the start. ‘IGDB was founded in 1976 by a client who had lost his sight a few years previously. Prior to that, the only option was to go to the UK, so providing the service here was a huge step forward.’
‘Community dogs can help reduce stress and can be a calming influence’
Today, with some 400 guide and assistance dog clients across the country, and an annual target of matching 70-80 new partnerships (a situation where demand far outstrips supply, O’Mahony adds), IGDB is deeply embedded in Irish society, receiving nearly 85% of its income from voluntary donations and a national fundraising network.
Powerful relationship
If the core objective is self-evident, the transformation of its service provision and the broadening profile of its clients is less so. In 2008, IGDB became the first such organisation in Europe to support families of children with autism.
Assistance dogs can play a role in ‘anchoring’ a child with autism in public spaces, O’Mahony explains. ‘There are immediate practical benefits in terms of stopping safely at road crossings, while research points to other benefits including improved participation in social activities, enhanced communication skills and increased levels of calmness.’
‘The companionship that develops between the dog and client is powerful’
IGDB was also a pioneer in the introduction of community dogs, which are trained for schools, care facilities and therapy rooms. ‘Along with their trained handler, community dogs can help reduce stress among students and can be a calming influence for adults in therapy,’ O’Mahony explains.
At the core of its service provision are, of course, those with sight loss. An international 2020 study has confirmed the many benefits of guide dogs, linking them with ‘perceived gains in terms of material comforts and interpersonal relationships’.
‘Having a guide dog or assistance dog is simply life changing,’ O’Mahony says. ‘We know from our clients that a whole world of independence opens up – whether that’s the ability to go to college, to commute to work or even just the ability to walk their child to school. In the case of a family of a child with autism, it means the ability to enjoy family time such as visits to Santa which were previously impossible. People find it’s a lot more social, and the companionship that develops between the dog and client is powerful.’
Collaborative process
Behind each IGDB dog is a collaborative rearing and training process, and a community of breeders, puppy raisers, home socialisers, temporary boarders, trainers, staff, volunteers and supporters.
‘Each year, approximately 120 pups are born, who after their first eight weeks with mum come under the care of IGDB’s puppy-raiser volunteers. Those volunteers are supported by our training staff, and the growing puppies are socialised and trained for their life as service dogs,’ O’Mahony explains.
‘There are skills ACCA members have that are hard to find elsewhere’
At 13 months, they return to the centre where they are streamed for their future career. ‘Those selected to be guide dogs get 26 weeks of training and are then matched with a client. That person comes to the centre in Cork for two to three weeks residential training, building a relationship with the dog and then returning home. We then check in regularly to make sure both are working well together in their new life.’
Centre of excellence
O’Mahony’s earlier career involved senior business roles in the UK and Ireland, followed by a move into consultancy in 2007. The passing of his brother-in-law in a tragic accident in 2013 led him to reassess his career direction. ‘I realised time is limited and things don’t always happen as we expect. I also missed the camaraderie of being part of an organisation.’ When the opportunity came up to join IGDB as finance manager, O’Mahony seized it.
CV
2013
Joins IGDB as finance manager, rising to role of CEO in 2018
2007
Finance consultant across a range of sectors
2004
Regional director, Ellison Europe
1997
Joins InterGen in London, rising to asset manager
1994
Becomes a member of ACCA
As CEO, O’Mahony says he sees his role as ‘bringing as much reliability and certainty as possible to a complex process. There are a lot of moving parts that need to be managed in the constraints of limited resources and with the support of volunteers.’ He is proud of the advances in recent years and says ‘we want to benchmark our services against the best in the world so that we can keep developing our services. Our centre in Cork is recognised internationally.’
‘I’ve always believed in a continuous improvement mindset’
As an FCCA, he also encourages fellow ACCA members to consider becoming board members in NGOs. ‘There are skills ACCA members have that are hard to find elsewhere. Board membership of a charity is great way to give back for the fortunate career you’ve had.’
Challenges of access
While the work of IGDB may seem something everyone can get behind, a surprising additional focus of its work is advocacy. A 2023 survey found 83% of its clients have faced access refusal to business premises with their guide dogs. ‘It’s tough to hear and it points to an education gap,’ O’Mahony says. ‘Business owners need to be aware that anyone with a guide dog or assistance dog has the right of access everyone else enjoys. It’s also up to the public to make sure a person with a working dog is supported.’
Such issues notwithstanding, IGDB finds itself ‘in a very good place at the moment’, with plans to develop further as an international centre of excellence as its 50th anniversary approaches. ‘I’ve always believed in a continuous improvement mindset and applying the science of process to the issues we face,’ O’Mahony says.
‘That approach has helped us bring IGDB to the fore internationally in recent years. There is a lot to look forward to in the future development of the service.’
IGDB by numbers
No cost to clients
All services are provided free of charge
85%
Income from voluntary donations and fundraising
400
Number of IGDB guide and assistance dog clients in Ireland
€5m
Annual running cost of IGDB
2010
New national headquarters and training centre opened
1976
IGDB founded
