Urgent: Tornado damage to Guiding Eyes campus

It happened in seconds. On May 16, a simple thunderstorm turned into the roaring 100 mph winds of an EF1 tornado. All across Patterson, New york, the lights went out, trees toppled, and fences sagged.

For five days, only a small team of staff was permitted onto the Guiding Eyes campus due to road closures and power loss. Staff had to park almost a mile away and climb over trees and power lines to get to the puppies.

Adding to the urgency of that evening, brood Joplin was about to give birth to a litter of 10 puppies, who were all delivered safely two days later. Thanks to the dedication of the Guiding Eyes staff, everyone from the newest puppies to the big dogs inside stayed safe and warm despite the storm.

Although no dogs or people were injured, the tornado caused some $250,000 in damage to our campus. And we’ve just learned that our insurance will only cover a fraction of it.

The worst damage was to our Big Dog area, where more than 100 trees were destroyed. As you can see in this video, it’s one of the dogs’ most favorite places. The tornado left it unusable—trails obliterated, fencing down, branches everywhere.

It’s a vital spot for our dogs. And right now, they can’t use it.

Will you make a gift now toward this emergency expense—and help ensure that the cost of cleanup doesn’t impact other vital services?