Guide dog puppy raising programs?

[Sunny Side Up]

I've heard there are programs in which you can participate where you raise & socialize puppies for a year or so before they are trained as service dogs and matched with their new owners. I have always loved to read stories of how these dogs benefit their owners, I think it would be a fantastic way to contribute to this need. Right now we do not have any dogs of our own, just a lot of poultry in the back yard. I don't think we would have difficulty at "graduation" time, just be glad to see the dog go to fulfill its destiny in life.

Have any of you ever done this? What are the pros & cons? Expenses? Can it be done while keeping poultry? Please let me know what you know about this!

 

[greyhorsewoman]

There are a couple different guide dog programs. Below are a couple of links that will probably answer some of your questions.

http://www.seeingeye.org/raise/
http://www.guidedogs.org/index.php?page=puppy-raising

 

[Duck Keeper]

I think it'd be in the future handler's best interest to have a dog trained not to go after small animals, so you might be even better prepared for this sort of work.

Edit - spelling

 

[snewman]

Also check out Leader Dogs for the Blind, in Rochester Michigan. I was a puppy raiser in highschool and it was a transformative experience. My puppy, a golden I named Tristan, ended up not passing the physical, so I got him back. I was proud of the fact that I was able to give up after loving him for a year, and that he passed all of the training tests. When they X-rayed his hips he was predisposed to dysplasia, so they called me and I went back and got him. He lived to 13 years. Leader Dogs is a wonderful organization, with a fabulous puppy-raiser program. I believe that they are willing to place puppies out of state, but check into them for all the details.

 

[chickpeaz]

Check the link in my sig, and PM me if you have any questions!