Overview
- On January 30, the 18-year-old royal opened Fundación ONCE’s guide-dog clinical and training complex in Boadilla del Monte in her second solo official engagement.
- Refurbished in early 2025, the site can handle about 200 animals a year, houses roughly 175 dogs, and features breeding and maternity areas, two operating theaters, a hospital, and a sensory-stimulation classroom staffed by more than 50 specialists.
- Fundación ONCE says it has provided nearly 4,000 guide dogs over 35 years, with around two years of preparation per animal and an average four-year waitlist the expansion seeks to reduce.
- Sofía toured the hospital and breeding areas, handled two-month-old puppies in the sensory room, and observed a mobility training demonstration.
- Attendees included Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso, State Secretary for Social Rights Rosa Martínez, the government’s Madrid delegate Francisco Martín, Boadilla mayor Francisco Javier Úbeda, and ONCE president Miguel Carballeda.