Visita a las nuevas instalaciones de la Fundación ONCE del Perro Guía (FOPG)

Link to the news article: https://www.casareal.es/ES/Actividade... Infanta Sofía visited the new Clinical and Healthcare Complex (hospital) of the ONCE Guide Dog Foundation's Breeding and Training Center (FOPG). This project, which has been running for over 35 years, has facilities to house the dogs, a veterinary hospital, and a residence for guide dog applicants during the training course they must complete to learn how to navigate the system. After greeting the authorities, a group photograph was taken next to a plaque commemorating Infanta Sofía's visit. Her Royal Highness then toured the center, learning in detail about the veterinary and training process for future guide dogs. Accompanied by technical staff from the Foundation, she visited the diagnostic testing room, the surgical areas, and the veterinary hospital. In the breeding area—access to which is restricted due to its sensitive nature—Her Royal Highness was received by the FOPG's veterinary director, Simón Martí. There, she visited the breeding block, the shower area, and the whelping pens, where she saw "Ona," a twenty-day-old puppy whom Her Royal Highness Infanta Sofía named. In 24 months, like her five siblings born in the first week of this year, Ona will improve the life of a blind person. The visit to the center's breeding area concluded in the early stimulation area, where she interacted with several older puppies. Later, Her Royal Highness greeted two foster families, a trainer, an instructor, and two guide dog users outside the center. They explained the fundamental role they play in the socialization, training, and use of these animals, before watching a guide dog demonstration in the exhibition stands, given by an instructor from the Foundation. At the end of the activity, Her Royal Highness posed for a photograph with a guide dog and chatted with the center's staff before speaking with them. Her Royal Highness Infanta Sofía was accompanied by the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso; the Government Delegate in the Community of Madrid, Francisco Martín; the Mayor of Boadilla del Monte, Javier Úbeda; the Secretary of State for Social Rights, María Rosa Martínez; the President of the ONCE Social Group, Miguel Carballeda; the President of the ONCE Guide Dog Foundation, Andrés Ramos; and the Managing Director of the ONCE Guide Dog Foundation, María Jesús Varela, among other authorities. The FOPG staff comprises more than 50 professionals with extensive experience and a high level of specialization. These include mobility instructors, trainers, puppy supervisors, caretakers of the resident dogs, administrative staff, and general services personnel. The center also has its own veterinary service, with a specialized area for genetic selection and breeding. The new facilities can accommodate 175 dogs. The ONCE (Spanish National Organization of the Blind) created the ONCE Guide Dog Foundation in 1990, adopting the model of European and North American guide dog schools (35 years in operation). Since its inception, it has provided nearly 4,000 dogs to blind or severely visually impaired people in Spain. Currently, it places an average of 140 dogs, but with the new center, this number will reach 200. The waiting list is currently between four and five years, and this new center will help reduce it. The foundation holds demonstrations that are seen by between 8,000 and 10,000 people every year throughout Spain. The ONCE Guide Dog Breeding Program is the foundation upon which all the training center's work is based. It takes approximately 24 months to train a guide dog. The FOPG Puppy Program aims to ensure the best possible adaptation of dogs, between two and fourteen months of age, to all types of environments and situations, guaranteeing appropriate social behavior at all times and basic obedience that facilitates their subsequent training. The key to achieving this is placing the puppy in a foster family; there are over one hundred foster families each year.