Job Description
Contact at organisation: Johanne Hallé, Mira Foundation
Phone: 1-450-795-3725
Email: jhalle@mira.ca
Founded in 1981, Mira is a non-profit organization that offers free guide dogs and service dogs to people living with visual impairments and physical disabilities and to youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Mira’s activities and services are based on the concept of physical equality: what is accessible to all must be accessible to people with disabilities. Before the pandemic, approximatively 200 guide dogs and assistance dogs were given free of charge to people in need of autonomy and a better quality of life each year. We’ve been changing lives one dog at a time for the past 40 years.
All requests for services are considered on an individual basis, so that solutions are designed according to the specific needs of each person. Whether that person is a blind child, an adult suffering from multiple deficiencies or a deaf and blind person, they all find their place among us.
Trainers at the Mira Foundation all share a profound passion that grows constantly, ignores barriers and upsets conventional ideas. It is this passion that gives us the strength to move forward into the future, towards wider horizons.
Each year, Mira assists at the breeding and birth of more than 300 puppies: Labradors, Laberneses and Saint-Pierre Laberneses. Puppies stay by their mother’s side for 9 weeks. At 9 weeks, the puppies are placed with foster families who are responsible for maintaining good health, developing appropriate behaviour, and socializing the dogs for 12 to 18 months. By the time they’re 1 year old, the dogs return to Mira for a week. They’re evaluated to determine which program is best suited for them. The dogs then undergo training for 3 to 7 months (depending on the program).
Guide Dog Trainers are responsible for their dogs (a total of 8 dogs for the whole training period, that lasts 7 months in this program). The trainer is in charge of assigning his dogs to the beneficiaries (between 5 to 8 people) during the class that lasts 3 to 4 weeks . During this time, beneficiaries live at Mira where all services and accommodations are provided for free. After the class, the Guide Dog Trainer is responsible of the follow-ups at the beneficiaries’ homes. The Guide Dog Trainer also work in collaboration with orientation and mobility specialists during the evaluation of potential beneficaries.
We change lives, one dog at a time. Join our team and help us make a difference.
How to Apply
- Minimum of 2 years experience as a Guide Dog Trainer, accreditation from an International Guide Dog Federation organisation, and a current driver’s licence and insurance;
- Bilingualism (French and English);
- Required legal authorization to work in Canada (Visa);
- Able to work independently and as part of a team;
- Must demonstrate effective communication and organisational skills;
- Excellent interpersonal and public-speaking skills;
- Strong ability to efficiently organize, multitask and prioritize work to meet deadlines;
- Must have an open attitude and flexibility to new insights and philosophies regarding dog training and different breeds of dogs.
*** North America market-leading remuneration based on skills and experience and access to a collective insurance. Several other benefits offered.
Please submit your letter of interest as well as your C.V. to : jhalle@mira.ca.
