About the foundation

Physical freedom is something so natural that you can realize its value only when you lose it. We will not use these precious lines to retell the Statute of the Foundation and its main goals. We are convinced that Bulgaria needs a school that trains dogs to be assistants to people with disabilities. The mission of the Foundation is to build a Balkan training center for service dogs for people with disabilities.

We believe that with our coordinated and purposeful efforts, and of course with your help, we will achieve the full potential of the already established and unique school for guide dogs and assistant dogs for people with disabilities.

To the skeptics we want to say: in Bulgaria there are 16,000 blind citizens, and in the Balkans more than 200,000.

With their special skills and boundless love, available 24 hours a day, trained guide and assistant dogs can save hundreds of people with disabilities from the lonely prison of physical dependence.

The Eyes on Four Paws Foundation is a full member of the European Guide Dog Federation (EGDF), as well as of the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF). Membership in these two prestigious organizations guarantees the quality of the service dogs we train.

The Eyes on Four Paws Foundation is registered as a social enterprise in Bulgaria.

The Foundation’s team consists of 2 instructors, 4 trainee instructors, 4 caretakers, a steward, and a secretary. To date, Eyes on Four Paws has trained and provided over 100 guide and assistant dogs of the breeds Golden Retriever, Labrador, and German Shepherd.

Team:
Albena Alexieva – Chairperson of the Eyes on Four Paws Foundation – since 2000

Executive Board:
Valentin Georgiev – since 2001
Alexandra Delova – since 2001
Elka Kodzhabasheva – since 2001

Instructor Team:
Yavor Krumov – Instructor – since 2007
Georgi Dafkov – Trainee Instructor – since 2018
Kostadin Kostadinov – Trainee Instructor – since 2019
Elitsa Mavrova – Trainee Instructor – since 2020

Cynology Center:
Elena Videnova – Manager – since 2013
Kalin Cholakov – Courier/Steward – since 2015

Caretaker Team:
Silvia Stoyanova – since 2019
Bogdana Stoycheva – since 2022

PR & Social Media:
Sonya Tsankova (Sonata) – Social Media Coordinator – since 2010