Our Mission-The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Inc is dedicated to promoting increased independence to men and women who are blind by providing them with the highest quality guide dogs. We are a non-profit 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) organization based in Bloomfield, CT. We breed, train and place our own, unique type of German shepherd guide dogs with people who have visual disabilities. Fidelco pioneered In-community Placement in the United States ; a process that allows guide dog users to be trained in the communities where they live and work. Fidelco relies solely on the gifts and the generosity of individuals, foundations, corporations and civic organizations that partner with us to Share the Vision." quality of our dogs ( a breed within a breed ), our pioneering In-community Placement program and our second-to-none client follow-up. In 2010, Fidelco received its fourth, consecutive four star rating from Charity Navigator, the non-profit organization that helps donors make informed giving decisions. According to Charity Navigator, Only 8% of the charities we rated have received at least four consecutive four-star evaluations." Fidelco is the only non-profit in the Hartford area to earn this rating and only one of six, including Yale University to be so honored. Fidelco has approximately 100 volunteer puppy raisers and are always looking for dedicated families and individuals to love, care for and socialize our pups. Approximately half the dogs we place each year are successor dogs ; dogs that follow in the footsteps of recently retired Fidelco guide dogs. Charlie and Robbie Kaman's intuitive knowledge of how German shepherd guide dogs could help people with visual disabilities live more normal lives was the genesis of the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation.