Meet an 86-year-old Ont. man who’s raised $70,000 and counting for dog guides

An 86-year-old man in Fergus, Ont. has dedicated the past nine years to giving back to an organization that changed his life so it can do the same for others.

An 86-year-old man in Fergus, Ont. has dedicated the past nine years to giving back to an organization that changed his life so it can do the same for others.

Larry Wainwright was declared legally blind in 1976.

“I guess I sort of gave up, because I was only 38. I was still playing ball, still played hockey, could get in the car and go where I wanted to, and that all ended,” Wainwright said.

Eventually, he found himself at a Lions Clubs International meeting. The organization has been advocating for blind and visually impaired people since 1925.

It also trains vision dogs.

In 2014, Wainwright met Otis the Poodle. After a few months of training together, he brought the vision dog home.

“The first time he met me he just came over and laid his head on my lap so I guess, as I’ve said many times, it was a match made in heaven,” Wainwright said.