Mitzi Kirkbride

Mitzi’s father was a naval officer who moved his family around the world. Her mother was a nurse who had a large collection of medical books. These became important sources of reading in her life. Her interest in helping others began when she read about training guide dogs for the blind. The first step is to get their attention.

As an adult, she spent several years in Germany where she learned “ein bisccen Deutsch.” There she trained horses and riders to compete at horse shows as the only English speaker/trainer in the country. She also rode.

Returning to the US, Mitzi was the Director of Training at Support Dogs for the Handicapped in Zanesville, Ohio, where the emphasis was on training the owners rather than the dog itself. There she trained her dog Bren, who became the number eight rated Golden Retriever in the United States.  She also trained the number two Doberman Pinscher. Mitzi and her late husband relocated Support Dogs to St. Louis, Missouri, where they bred and trained Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and German Shepherds to assist paraplegic and quadriplegic individuals in their daily lives, giving them freedom and independence.

 In her subsequent professional life, Mitzi served as CEO of Guide Dogs for the Blind. When she was giving her first speech after her appointment, she suddenly recognized the location from a picture in the book she read as a child and realized that her dream of training dogs had com true. While there, she was made Vice President of Assistance Dogs International where she was asked to write the Ethics and Standards guidelines. The organization accepted them and they are still in use.