Pilot Dogs

Inspiring and empowering the blind to live with greater independence, safety, and dignity
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Pilot Dogs is a non-profit guide dog school for the blind and visually impaired, located in Columbus, Ohio. Since 1950, we have been committed to providing exemplary services to the blind community, helping them navigate their lives with unmatched levels of independence, mobility, and confidence. We are a service organization that relentlessly pursues ways to help people, whether it be classes in O&M, technology, or animal assistance, and more.

06/19/2026

Swipe to see the transformation! 🤩

We are excited to unveil our newly completed Puppy Palace. This expansion features a state-of-the-art breeding facility, an enriching puppy play area, and more!

Pilot Dogs is ready to continue our 76-year legacy of changing the lives of people who are blind and visually impaired through O&M training and guide dog services. 🦮

[Photo 1: The Puppy Palace while under construction. It is a wide photo of the outside of an unfinished building. There is text over the image that says “BEFORE”. Photo 2: The same building but completely finished. It is a black building framed by windows with a red awning. There is text over the image that says “AFTER”.]

06/17/2026

It really is so cute. 🥰

[Video: The video shows a very young yellow lab puppy stopping at a truncated dome. The puppy is receiving treats for stopping and is then released by the trainer and receives pets. There is text over the video that says, “Our thoughts while training our Pilot Puppies to stop at curbs”.]

06/16/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Pilot Dogs Ribbon Cutting and Open House! It was an exciting way to start our next chapter with our new, state of the art facilities and we are grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate with us.

Thank you to our donors, past graduates, volunteers, and puppy raisers because without you, this wouldn’t be possible.

We can’t wait to continue our mission of changing lives and providing confidence, safety, and independence through guide dogs and orientation and mobility training. Cheers to this next chapter! 🦮

[Video: The video opens with a graphic that says, “Pilot Dogs Ribbon Cutting” then pans to patrons in the crowd and then four different speakers. As they speak to the crowd, the video shows patrons interacting, Pilot Dogs, dogs getting pet, people listening intently and a Pilot Dogs graduate with his chocolate lab Pilot Dog. It also shows Detection Dog demonstrations, dogs playing and the different vendors. The video then cuts to the ribbon cutting. Two trainers tie either side of the red ribbon to two Pilot Dogs, then they cut the ribbon and everyone applauds. The video pans to patrons exploring the new facilities.]

06/15/2026

We are excited to celebrate Corinna, our Student of the Week, and her Pilot Dog, Capri! 🐾 During class, Corinna shared that having a guide dog has given her more freedom and confidence to explore new places. We hope these two continue to embark on many adventures together! 🦮

[Photo: Female Pilot Dogs student posed at a nature park overlook with her yellow lab Pilot Dog. They are both looking at the camera. There is text over the image that says, “Student of the Week: Corinna” and a quote that says, “She’s going to help me get more exercise and get me out of the house because I’m at home a lot and can’t go anywhere unless someone comes with me. Now I’m going to be able to go places with her.”]

06/10/2026

We want to give a tail-wagging thank you to our Student of the Week, Michael, for his kind words about his experience at Pilot Dogs! 🦮 We are so proud of this team and all they accomplished during their class here. We wish them many fun adventures ahead!

[Photo: Image of a male Pilot Dogs student sitting on a park bench with his yellow lab Pilot Dog in front of him. He is smiling and petting the dog. There is text over the image that says “Student of the Week Michael” and a quote that says, “This was the thing I was looking for. This was going to change my life. And so I had a lot of ideas in my mind of how it was going to go and everything turned out exactly the way I had hoped, except for one exception. It was even better than I had hoped.”]

06/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the VIP Grand Opening Celebration of our new campus expansion! 🎉 We are so grateful for the incredible support from our donors, volunteers, partners, and community members who helped make this event so special.

Here's to an exciting new chapter and the many lives we will continue to impact by providing guide dogs, Orientation & Mobility training, and support services to individuals who are blind and visually impaired. We couldn't do it without you! 🦮❤️

[Photos: Images of patrons socializing in the Community Center at Pilot Dogs, guided tours of the new facility, patrons petting Pilot Puppies, people peering into the new spaces and different speakers talking in front of everyone.]

06/05/2026

THE BIG REVEAL! 🤩

Pilot Dogs is beyond excited to reveal our Student Residence Campus Expansion! This expansion was designed with accessibility, dignity and independence in mind. Featuring 17 new student dorms with direct access to our new courtyard, a student lounge, fitness center, history wall, flight simulator and a community room/center, we are feeling better than ever!

Thank you to everyone who came to our Open House and got to see everything in person. We couldn’t have done this without our incredible donors.

We are ready for more students and more lives changed at Pilot Dogs! 🦮

[Video: The video opens with outdoor footage of the new Student Residences. There are graphics over these clips that say, “Student Residence Reveal”. Next, the video shows the big lounge with an open-concept kitchen and sitting area. There are graphics over these clips that say, “Community Room/Center”. Next, the video pans to the Pilot Dogs Guide Dog Harness Evolution wall then the History Wall with graphics over that clip that says, “History Wall”. The video then shows the student dorm room, with graphics that say, “Student Dorm”. The video shows that the dorms have direct access to the courtyard and shows off the courtyard. There are graphics over those clips that say, “Outdoor Courtyard”. The video then moves to the student lounge, with graphics that say, “Student Lounge”. The video closes with wide clips of the lounge and one final outdoor clip. The video ends with a closing that says, “Designed with Accessibility, Dignity and Independence in Mind.”]

06/03/2026

Hotter days are coming! ☀️ Keep your dog safe and comfortable by keeping them hydrated, planning walks during the early morning or evening hours, and taking plenty of breaks in the shade. Staying cool makes summer more enjoyable for everyone! ⛱️🐾

[Photo 1: Close-up of yellow lab with his tongue out. There is text around the image that says, “Temperatures are Rising! Follow these tips to prevent your dog from overheating in the warm months!” Photo 2: Two black lab puppies drinking from the same bowl of water. There is text around the image that says, “Stay hydrated! Make sure your dog is drinking lots of water. You can add ice cubes to help regulate their temperature!” Photo 3: Image of female walking a black lab in a park. There is text around the image that says, “Walk in the morning or the evening! Avoid the hottest temperatures by walking your dog in the morning or evening. Be sure to check the temperature of the pavement before walking! Photo 4: Image of male Pilot Dogs student in the shade with his black lab Pilot Dog. There is text around the image that says, “Seek shade! Find a nice, cool spot for your dog, especially during the hottest hours. Cooling mats are great too!”].

06/01/2026

This week’s Pilot Dogs Student of the Week is our October 2024 graduate, Michelle! 🎉 Michelle and her Pilot Dog, Pez, were such a fun duo to train during their time here, and Michelle’s love for her Pilot Dog was truly inspiring.

We are grateful for all of our amazing O&M and Guide Dog graduates, and wish them nothing but the best! ❤️

[Photo: Image of female student meeting her yellow lab Pilot Dog for the first time. She is hugging him. There are graphics around the image that say, “Student of the Week: Michelle” and a quote over the image that says, “It’s like a family away from family. Having a guide dog has helped me just be more confident in what I’m doing. I can’t say enough about Pilot Dogs. They put the comfort of the students first so they can concentrate on working with their dogs. I think that’s a wonderful thing.”]

05/29/2026

Recent Orientation and Mobility graduate Don shared that training in the busy areas of Columbus greatly benefited him during his time at Pilot Dogs. We’re thrilled to hear how his experience here helped build the confidence he needs to navigate the world independently. 🧑‍🦯

We are so proud of all he accomplished and grateful for his kind words. Pilot Dogs wishes him nothing but safe travels and continued success in the future. 🫶🏼

[Video: Male O&M student sitting in the student lounge at Pilot Dogs. He is talking to the camera.]

Address

625 West Town Street
Columbus, OH
43215

Telephone

+16142216367

Website

https://linktr.ee/pilotdogs

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