Guide Dogs Singapore
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Short description|Non-profit social service organization in Singapore}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Guide Dogs Singapore Ltd
| formation = {{start date and age|2006}}
| logo = Logo of Guide Dogs Singapore.png
| abbreviation = GDS
| formerly = Guide Dogs Association of the Blind (GDAB)
| type = Charity
| registration_id = 200302260G
| headquarters = 20 Sin Ming Ln, #02-53, Singapore 573968
| website = https://guidedogs.org.sg/
}}
Guide Dogs Singapore (GDS) is a non-profit social service organization that helps the visually handicapped in Singapore. GDS advocates the use and normalization of using guide dogs in helping the visually handicapped, especially allowing guide dogs to enter food establishments.{{Cite web |last=Kuan |first=Tricia |date=30 November 2022 |title=YOUth should know: 7 things about Guide Dogs |url=https://youthopia.sg/read/youth-should-know-7-things-about-guide-dogs/ |access-date=20 September 2023 |website=youthopia.sg |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Raguraman |first=Anjali |date=13 March 2023 |title=Paralympian Sophie Soon’s dispute with cafe sheds light on guide dog users’ daily challenges |language=en |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/paralympian-sophie-soon-s-dispute-with-cafe-sheds-light-on-guide-dog-users-daily-challenges |access-date=20 September 2023 |issn=0585-3923}}{{Cite web |title=S'pore's first guide dog instructor explains how guide dogs are trained locally |url=https://mothership.sg/2021/09/first-singapore-guide-dog-instructor/ |access-date=20 September 2023 |website=mothership.sg |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Guide dogs still being rejected by F&B establishments, on public transport & private hire cars |url=https://mothership.sg/2021/06/guide-dogs-rejected/ |access-date=20 September 2023 |website=mothership.sg |language=en}} GDS also trains guide dogs.{{Cite web |title=Still a pup but taking her human to places — as the first guide dog fully trained in Singapore |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/eve-first-guide-dog-fully-trained-singapore-visually-impaired-2960171 |access-date=20 September 2023 |website=CNA |language=en}}
History
Guide Dogs Singapore was founded in 2006 to assist the visually handicapped in Singapore. GDS has trained 11 guide dogs, of which 6 are in operation.{{Cite news |date=17 March 2023 |title=Forum: All of us have a part to play in removing barriers to disability-inclusive society |language=en |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-all-of-us-have-a-part-to-play-in-removing-barriers-to-disability-inclusive-society |access-date=20 September 2023 |issn=0585-3923}}{{Cite news |title=Working like a dog: A closer look at canines with jobs |language=en |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2023/05/working-dogs-singapore/index.html?shell |access-date=20 September 2023 |issn=0585-3923}}
In 2013, Law Minister K. Shanmugam stated at a dinner organized by GDS that there has to be a, "more supportive regulatory framework" towards guide dogs.{{Cite news |last=Goy |first=Priscilla |date=7 December 2013 |title=Shanmugam calls for clearer rules on guide dogs |language=en |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/shanmugam-calls-for-clearer-rules-on-guide-dogs |access-date=20 September 2023 |issn=0585-3923}}
In 2017, Christina Teng became Singapore's first local guide dog instructor after undergoing training at Guide Dogs Victoria in Melbourne from 2018 to 2020 to get her Guide Dog Mobility Instructor certificate.{{Cite web |title=S'pore's first woman guide dog handler: I faced discrimination, people would scream & run away |url=https://mothership.sg/2019/10/cassandra-chiu-guide-dog-singapore/ |access-date=20 September 2023 |website=mothership.sg |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Tay |first=Valerie |date=28 April 2020 |title=Dogged determination helped her become Singapore's first guide dog mobility instructor |language=en |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/dogged-determination-helped-her-fulfil-childhood-dream |access-date=20 September 2023 |issn=0585-3923}} She also trained Eve, the first guide dog to be trained in Singapore.
In 2018, GDS planned to raise {{SGD|100,000|link=on}} to train 2 more guide dogs.{{Cite news |last=Lam |first=Lydia |date=18 April 2018 |title=Guide Dogs Singapore aims to raise $100,000 to train two new guide dogs for people who are visually impaired |language=en |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/guide-dogs-singapore-aims-to-raise-100000-to-train-two-new-guide-dogs-for-visually#:~:text=Guide%20Dogs%20Singapore%20(GDS),,new%20set%20of%20routes%20independently. |access-date=20 September 2023 |issn=0585-3923}}