Update: The outpouring of love and support for our dear friend, Betty White, has been so heartwarming. With so many people reaching out to express their support for our mission, we’ve decided there must be a bigger way that we can honor Betty. In addition to naming a puppy after Betty, we decided to increase our goal to $25,000 which would enable us to name dog quarters in our newest building. The plaque will be inscribed with, “In memory of Betty White – Thank you for being a friend.” The dog quarters are located in the state-of-the-art Dr. Robert H. Harris Canine Pavilion which features updated living quarters for pairs of Seeing Eye dogs who are undergoing formal training with our professional guide dog mobility instructors.

All of us here at The Seeing Eye are still mourning the loss of our longtime supporter, advocate, and friend Betty White. If you loved Betty as much as we did, will you help us pay tribute to her?

This sweet yellow Labrador retriever pup was born a few weeks ago. We are naming her in honor of our friend Betty White, and we are hoping you will join us by making a gift in her honor by Monday, January 17 — what would have been her 100th birthday. Will you help us honor her by making a gift today?

Betty was also very generous with the time that she dedicated to The Seeing Eye. Her patronage dates back over 40 years, beginning with a radio PSA she recorded about guide dog users’ right to ride in taxis with their dogs. In the 90s, she starred in and provided voice-over work for a 20-minute video to assist in recruiting volunteer puppy raisers. She co-hosted a gala with us and matched $20,000 in donations, and in more recent years, she donated to our annual online auction, where supporters could bid on the opportunity to have dinner with her.

And of course, our favorite Betty moment was seeing the joy on her face when she came to our campus and visited with some of our mama dogs and newborn puppies. (They loved her, of course.) Please enjoy some of our favorite moments with Betty throughout the years by scrolling through the gallery above.

You can see why naming a puppy in her memory is such a fitting tribute! We hope you'll give before Monday to help us reach our goal and name a cute pup Betty. Your donation will support a cause that was near and dear to Betty's heart, providing specially-trained Seeing Eye dogs to people who are blind and visually impaired.

As they said on Golden Girls, thank you for being a friend.

http://seeingeye.org/