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Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation partners people who are blind with expertly bred and trained German Shepherd guide dogs, providing all clients with increased independence to improve their lives and the world around them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that by 2050 the number of adults in the United States with blindness or vision impairment will double, due to the aging U.S. population and prevalence of chronic diseases that contribute to vision loss. The steady rise in the incidence of visual impairment has heightened the need for Fidelco’s program services, as more people seek increased mobility and independence through partnership with a guide dog. It requires an investment of two years, thousands of hours, and tens of thousands of dollars to raise, train, and place each guide dog. All Fidelco guide dogs are provided at no cost to people who are blind. While the causes of clients’ vision loss are varied, they are engaged and active members of their families, workplaces, and communities. Guide dog partners provide clients with increased independence and confidence to thrive in their daily lives and explore new environments and opportunities. Fidelco has continued to adapt in innovative ways - despite the aftereffects of the pandemic – to create and sustain trusted guide dog partnerships. Fidelco is focused on increasing the number of puppies raised, and dogs trained and placed - to serve more people, reduce wait times for clients who have applied for a first-time or successor guide dog, and provide important follow-up services. This includes responding to application requests and submissions, providing in-community placement of new and successor guide dogs with clients, and supporting current client/guide dog teams throughout the lifespan of partnership.
Since 1960, more than 1,650 Fidelco guide dog teams have journeyed through life together. Our clients often tell us how profoundly their guide dogs have impacted their lives. But the mark they leave on all they encounter is equally powerful. We are privileged to witness their triumphs and challenges. Many of our clients return for successor guide dogs, and some have been with us for decades. Sharing in their lives is part of what makes our work so deeply gratifying. The impact of our mission on the lives of people who are blind is made possible thanks to the dedication of caring donors, volunteers, staff, and community members. This impact is demonstrated through the words and experiences of clients. Connie H. is partnered with her third Fidelco guide dog, “Xola.” Connie has shared, “Xola is a great guide, maneuvering us through situations that would be impossible for me to manage without her. When you and the guide connect, it becomes a special bond, like no other. You get freedom, independence, and so much more.” Fidelco guide dogs know approximately 80 commands by the time they are ready to be placed with a client. If a pup doesn't qualify for guide dog work, different career paths are offered, including law enforcement, search and rescue, and security. Sometimes, the best option for the pup is to become a wonderful pet. Fidelco will always find them loving, forever homes. Fidelco pioneered the In-Community Placement training model in the United States. This model is the most effective way for guide dog teams to develop trust and loyalty through individualized training in the communities where clients live and work. This model also minimizes disruptions in clients’ daily lives by enabling them to remain at home while training rather than traveling to and staying at a residential training facility for several weeks. Throughout its history, Fidelco has demonstrated its commitment to the needs of America’s veterans and has provided guide dogs to blinded heroes – from those who served in the Korean Conflict to those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Fidelco is dedicated to long-term support of each client and guide dog partnership. Our work doesn't end at placement. We continue to train, support, and help care for Fidelco guide dogs long after they've been placed with their partners - ensuring people who are blind maintain the increased mobility and independence a Fidelco guide dog provides.
I have a huge smile as I look at eighteen healthy, adorable new puppies and a few tears as I wave goodbye to the magnificent Fidelco guide dogs beginning their new lives. Everyone at Fidelco forms friendships and loving relationships with our German Shepherd Dogs. Each one has a unique personality: goofy, funny, serious, insatiably curious, and some determined to sit on the furniture no matter how much training they’ve had! All are intelligent, beautiful, hard-working dogs. After two years of care and training, off they go to meet their partners as we assume a supportive role, ensuring that all goes well for the lifetime of the partnership. This is our mission, and Fidelco has grown in resilience and determination to keep going and growing. We have achieved remarkable success in terms of the quality of our dogs and the increase in our client population. We are so grateful for our volunteers, staff and so many people who support the mission of providing German Shepherd guide dogs to people who are blind. Karen C. Tripp Chief Executive Officer
Areas Served |
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National |
Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation places its guide dogs with clients throughout North America. Since 1981, over 1,650 Fidelco German Shepherd guide dogs have been trained and placed with adults who are blind, in 41 states and five Canadian provinces. Fidelco’s main campus and guide dog training facility is in Bloomfield, CT. There are currently more than 12 Fidelco client/guide dog teams in Connecticut, including Fidelco guide dog users who reside in the 20-town Greater New Haven region.
Fidelco’s core program is designed to meet the goal of developing trusted guide dog partnerships that provide increased safety, mobility, and independence for adults who are legally blind. While the causes of clients’ vision loss are varied, they are engaged and active members of their families, workplaces, and communities. Guide dog partners provide clients with increased independence and confidence to thrive in their daily lives and explore new environments and opportunities. Program Design and Activities - Breeding Program – Fidelco is the only guide dog organization that exclusively breeds, trains, and places the German Shepherd Dog. Fidelco dogs are bred from bloodlines developed over six decades to ensure the ideal traits of intelligence, temperament, stamina, and stability. - Young Puppy Development – Pups are born at Fidelco’s state-of-the-art whelping center and spend their first eight weeks being cared for by Veterinary Medicine and Puppy Development staff. Staff gradually expose the pups to sights, sounds and experiences that prepare them for the outside world. Biosensory work begins with pups being held and touched and progresses to navigating different indoor and outdoor surfaces and interacting with toys that move and make sound. - Volunteer Puppy Raiser Program - Young pups from eight weeks to 18 months old live with volunteer families who welcome pups into their homes and provide a nurturing environment, training, and socialization that create the foundation for exceptional guide dog partners. Puppy Raisers and pups attend weekly classes - led by Fidelco staff - to learn and practice the skills that prepare the pups for the next phase in their training. - Formal Guide Dog Training – When pups are approximately 18 months old, they return to Fidelco’s campus to begin their training with Certified Guide Dog Instructor/Trainers. During a rigorous six-month period, training occurs in local towns and progresses to cities. Each dog must complete a 10-step training program that includes three "blindfold walks" with its trainer. All components are designed to test the ability of the future guide dog to handle increasingly challenging situations and safely and successfully deliver the blindfolded trainer to designated destinations. - In-Community Placement – A fully-trained guide dog is partnered with a client through Fidelco’s In-Community Placement model. Working with a Certified Instructor/Trainer, each client/guide dog team develops trust and loyalty through personalized training provided in the homes, neighborhoods, and communities where clients live and work. Fidelco pioneered the In-Community Placement model in the United States. Individualized training ensures the team is comfortable working together in environments clients frequent in their daily lives. The process builds client/guide dog team skills, trust, and confidence and minimizes disruptions in clients’ lives by enabling them to train at home rather than having to travel to a residential training facility for several weeks. - Lifetime Support Services – Fidelco is committed to lifelong partnership with each client/guide dog team. Teams receive ongoing training support and annual follow-up visits and guide dog check-ups for the life of the working partnership – typically 10 years - to ensure the safety and integrity of the team. Over their lifetimes, many Fidelco clients will use multiple guide dogs and will require successor dogs to continue the same level of safety and independence they enjoy today. Staff are available 24/7 to assist clients for emergency situations or day-to-day questions and concerns, including canine health issues and guide dog retirement. If a client moves or changes jobs, an Instructor/Trainer will provide the client with support required to ease such transitions. | |
Example of Program Success | Laura J. “always tries to focus on the positives.” She is married with two children: a 14-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. Laura graduated with a degree in biology, and her career has continued to reflect this interest. She partnered with “Lyla,” her second Fidelco guide dog, in 2021 and describes her as “extremely dedicated and loyal.” Laura is a Quality Assurance Auditor for a biotech company that develops oncology drugs and is responsible for ensuring all company procedures adhere to FDA guidelines. She was previously employed at a biotech company for many years as Principal Specialist Quality Compliance for drug and surgical device development and also helped train new employees. Laura and Lyla go for daily walks, and Lyla accompanies Laura to watch her children’s frequent after-school activities. When taking the bus or Uber to appointments or the gym, Lyla is her devoted partner. Laura’s volunteer work with Lyla has included visiting schools, eldercare facilities, and nonprofit organizations and explaining and demonstrating the work of guide dogs. She reflects that when she needed help, people helped her; and it’s now her turn to reciprocate through her volunteer work. Laura says that her Fidelco guide dog partnerships have “changed my life for the better.” |
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CEO First Name | CEO Last Name | CEO Email |
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Karen | Tripp | ktripp@fidelco.org |
Number of Full-Time Staff | 37 |
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Number of Part-Time Staff | 13 |
Number of Volunteers | 325 |
Number of Contract Staff | 0 |
American Indian or Alaskan Native | 0 |
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Asian | 0 |
Black or African American | 0 |
Middle Eastern or North African | 0 |
Mixed | 0 |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 0 |
White | 0 |
Other | 0 |
Choose Not to Answer | 50 |
Hispanic or Latino/a/x | 0 |
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Not Hispanic or Latino/a/x | 0 |
Choose Not to Answer | 50 |
Male | 0 |
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Female | 0 |
I am: (Fill In Below) | 0 |
Choose Not to Answer | 50 |
Board Chair First Name | Board Chair Last Name | Board Chair Email Address | Board Chair Term Start Date | Board Chair Term End Date |
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Kenneth | Bernhard | boardofdirectors@fidelco.org | October 15, 2021 | October 14, 2024 |
Board Member First Name | Board Member Last Name | Board Member Affiliation |
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Mark | Bertolini | Director |
Edward | Budd | Director |
John | Gotta | Secretary |
Robert | Heidenberg | Director |
Lillian | Johnson | Director |
Karen | Petrou | Director |
Peter | Tedone | Vice Chairman & Treasurer |
Karen | Tripp | Ex officio |
Ian | Walsh | Director |
Kathryn | Kaman Filippetti, MSA | Director |
Current List of Board Members as of | October 1, 2024 |
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American Indian or Alaskan Native | 0 |
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Asian | 0 |
Black or African American | 0 |
Middle Eastern or North African | 0 |
Mixed | 0 |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 0 |
Other | 0 |
White | 0 |
Choose Not to Answer | 11 |
Hispanic or Latino/a/x | 0 |
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Not Hispanic or Latino/a/x | 0 |
Choose Not to Answer | 11 |
Male | 0 |
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Female | 0 |
I am: (Fill In Below) | 0 |
Choose Not to Answer | 11 |
Additional Comments (Optional) |
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Fiscal Year Start Date | Fiscal Year End Date | Projected Revenue | Projected Expenses |
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July 1, 2024 | June 30, 2025 | $4,791,188 | $5,251,774 |
Fiscal Year | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
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Total Revenue | $3,498,053 | $3,934,053 | $4,035,160 |
Total Expenses | $6,400,381 | $6,532,792 | $6,442,488 |
2021 990 Tax Form | Download |
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2022 990 Tax Form | Download |
2023 990 Tax Form | Download |
2024 990 Tax Form |
Financial Statements | Download |
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Financial Documentation Year | 2021 |
Financial Documentation Type | Audited Financial Statements |
Financial Statements | |
Financial Documentation Year | |
Financial Documentation Type | |
Financial Statements | Download |
Financial Documentation Year | 2019 |
Financial Documentation Type | Audited Financial Statements |
Federal EIN Number | 06-6060478 |
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Organization's type of tax exempt status | 501(c)(3) |
Website | http://www.fidelco.org |
http://www.facebook.com/fidelcoguidedog | |
http://twitter.com/fidelco |
For more than sixty years, Fidelco’s mission has remained focused on bringing increased safety, mobility, independence, and confidence into the lives of people who are blind, through trusted guide dog partnerships.
The Fidelity Breeders Cooperative, predecessor to the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, was founded in 1960. During its first 20 years, the Fidelity Breeders Cooperative gave its specially bred German Shepherd Dogs to guide dog organizations in the United States. In 1981, Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation was established as a guide dog breeding and training organization. To date, more than 1,600 Fidelco German Shepherd guide dogs have been trained and placed with people who are blind across North America.
Fidelco is the only guide dog organization that exclusively breeds, trains, and places the German Shepherd Dog. Fidelco’s German Shepherd Dog is purpose-bred for intelligence, temperament, stamina, and stability to meet the intense demands of 24/7 guide dog work. Fidelco’s German Shepherd guide dogs devote an average of 10 years providing increased safety and independence to their human partners.
Fidelco guide dogs are provided at no cost to people who are legally blind. Clients are found in every walk of life and include veterans, students, teachers, athletes, busy parents and grandparents, and active retirees.
27 Cannon Road
Wilton, Connecticut 06897
Risa Nicolosi
rnicolosi@fidelco.org
http://www.fidelco.org
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