Our Campus

The Guide Dog Foundation's ten-acre campus is located at 371 East Jericho Turnpike/Middle Country Road in Smithtown, NY. (Smithtown is about one hour east of Manhattan.)

The campus is home to our National Administrative Center and Student Residence Hall, several kennels, a puppy nursery, training facilities and more.  Take a photo tour of our campus and facilities.

The National Administrative Center and Student Residence Hall

Interested in taking a tour of our campus?

*Tours are not currently held due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.*

Tours at our Smithtown campus are available by appointment only.

Please be aware, there is a wait list for available dates. Filling out the form will add you to the waitlist.

Your 90-minute tour will be led by two of our volunteers who have dedicated their time to helping the Guide Dog Foundation. Please note: the presentation is geared primarily toward elementary school students age 7 and up, although individuals of all ages are welcome.

If you would like to visit the Guide Dog Foundation, please complete the tour application. The tour route includes the dining room, snack room, and the grounds. It does not include the training center or the puppy nursery.

Due to the space available on our campus, we are unable to accommodate group sizes greater than 30.  If you have a group larger than 30, please complete the online speaking engagement application.  We will try to arrange for one of our Speakers Bureau representatives to visit your organization. 

If you have any questions, please call 631-930-9000 x1130. 

Photo Tour

Lobby of admin building.
Lobby

Welcome to the Guide Dog Foundation. The lobby is the first stop for most visitors and students. Once inside, you’ll be greeted by one of our volunteer receptionists. 
Lions dining room.
Dining Room

The Lions Club Dining Room is where students on class gather for meals. Our in-house chef prepares three creative meals a day while meeting dietary requirements. Whether students are diabetic, have allergies, need gluten free options, are vegan, vegetarian, etc., each meal is prepared accordingly.

When class is not in session, the room is also used for staff and donor functions.
Student residence room with private bath.
Student Residence

To make the students’ stay as comfortable as possible, the on-campus Student Residence Hall offers single rooms with private baths and individual climate control; all rooms have private telephone lines and an Ethernet connection; there is also free Wi-Fi.
A group of dogs sit in the middle of the main kennel.The Kennel

The Foundation's kennel houses about 100 dogs. It houses the dogs that are in for training as well as the puppies that are in for boarding. Volunteers come in every day of the week to exercise and socialize our dogs.
Snack room.
Snack Room

The Snack Room is a great place for students to relax and unwind after a day of training. It’s also a great place to practice "down and under" techniques learned during the training program. The different seating options – from booths to stools - are representative of what our students and guide dogs will encounter in their daily travels.
McGrath Ceremony Square

The square and gazebo during a spring day Found between the National Administration Center and the Breeding and Development Center, McGrath Ceremony Square offers a shaded area under the grand gazebo along that has several rocking chairs for students to relax when taking a break during class. This area of the campus also includes the Noble Animal Friend Walk of Honor area, in which donors can recognize a special animal friend.  
Student lounge includes couches, TV and bookcase of movies and books.
Student Lounge

The Foundation offers activities for students during breaks in training. The Student Lounge offers comfortable seating, high-definition cable TV, movies with descriptive video, large print and Braille playing cards, books, Braille Scrabble and Monopoly games.
Image of Celebration Square
Celebration Square

The center of the Foundation's campus, Celebration Square, provides an excellent resource for training opportunities. The one-acre square features simulated street intersections with various styled curbs and wheelchair-accessible ramps. There are areas with varied surfaces including grates and sidewalk doors, similar to ones found on city streets. The back lawn features an obstacle course with ground and height obstacles and a practice staircases, with open and closed risers.
Covered break area.
Covered Break Area

The large covered break area provides a special location for students to break their dogs when in class. The roof provides shade during the warm months, and the heated concrete prevents the area from freezing during cold months. The sidewalks also provide good training practice for working with their dogs at curbed areas. 
A little of newborn pups lay by their mother.Puppy Nursery

The Puppy Nursery is a very popular place at the Foundation, especially when a dog is giving birth to her pups.  The nursery and whelping areas are sanitized, so access is restricted to certain staff members.  Viewing windows allow staff and guests to check in on the future guide dogs and see how they are doing.  We breed our puppies to maximize the traits important for guide dogs.