Dogs are often called man's best friend, but there's a special bond between the dogs from one Connecticut nonprofit and the people they serve.

For 60 years, the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, based in Wilton and Bloomfield, has placed more than 1,500 German shepherd guide dogs throughout the country and Canada.

The organization breeds the dogs and begins working with the pups at three days old, then turns the animals over to volunteer puppy raisers who care for them in their homes from eight weeks to 18 months old.

The dogs then come back to Fidelco for six months of formal guide dog training.

Doug Fuchs is one of those volunteers, as well as the organization's chief operating officer.

"It takes time, it takes dedication. but the most important thing you're doing is giving a ton of love to these guys and helping them be socialized."

The dogs learn how to move around obstacles, how to move around pedestrians and how to deal with escalators, elevators and traffic, says trainer Gretchen Fisher Orr.

By the time they leave, the dogs have learned dozens of words and commands, and know how to work with a teammate.