Celebrate Guide Dog Graduation at an Ice Cream Social in San Rafael

There will be "sundae" vibes on a Saturday as Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) follows its regular public graduation ceremony for guide dog team graduates on Saturday, May 10, 2025 with a special ice cream social to recruit new puppy raisers at its campus in San Rafael. The event is a "pawfect" combo for families interested in becoming volunteer puppy raisers. After the graduation ceremony, an information session will introduce potential volunteers to the different ways they can participate in GDB’s puppy-raising program, which will be followed by a puppy-play session for attendees. Ice cream will be served to all guests, including pup-cups for the puppies!

The graduation ceremony takes place on May 10 from 1:30–3 pm, with an info session from 3 to 3:20 pm, and a puppy-play session and ice cream social from 3:20 to 4 pm. Admission is free but RSVPs are required. The event takes place at GDB's headquarters at 350 Los Ranchitos Road in San Rafael, 94903.

Volunteer puppy raisers care for puppies from 2 to 15 months, nurturing them and teaching them good manners, while exposing them to a range of socialization activities to prepare them in their journeys to eventually become guide dogs, K9 Buddies, or GDB breeder dogs.

GDB has several ways for the community to get involved with puppy raising — from its traditional puppy-raising program to its hybrid model of online trainings, webinars, and in-person workshops from the organization’s expert puppy-raising team.

To RSVP for the ice cream social, please visit GDB Puppy Raising Ice Cream Social.