How do I become a puppy raiser?

Being a service dog puppy raiser is one of the most rewarding things you'll ever do. Many feel it is so rewarding they do it over and over again.

You do not have to be a dog trainer to be a puppy raiser. We have a wonderful group of people in our organization that will help you with every question you could ever possibly have about your puppy. However, we do have a few requirements you must be able to fulfill.

• Financial Responsibility.

  We are a non-profit organization. Right now, puppy raisers bear the brunt of expenses for raising their puppies. This includes food, medical and vet costs, and any other incidental expenses. Many puppy raisers get discounts from their vets for their service dog puppies. (If you have a local service organization or other club that wants to sponsor a puppy, please get with us and we'll give you all the details.) Raising a service dog puppy usually does not cost any more than raising a pet dog. The main extra expense is having the dog's hips x-rayed, but this can often be done at the same time the spay/neuter operation is performed, saving money. Discount spay/neuter certificates are also available from many government agencies and animal shelters. Also, since we are a non-profit organization, many of your expenses ARE tax deductible. (Save your receipts and consult with your tax specialist on how to proceed.)

• Family involvement.

  Considering the investment of emotion, time, and energy in raising a service dog puppy, the entire family needs to be in favor of it. If your child wants to be the pupp yraiser, please remember that as the adult, YOU are ultimately responsible for the puppy's well-being and training.

• Time.

  We ask that you be able to spend at least three hours a week socializing your puppy (once it's old enough to venture out in public, usually after it's had several rounds of vaccinations). If your employer allows you to bring your puppy to work, that is even better. You will be responsible for teaching your puppy basic commands like heel, sit, down, stay, and no. (Don't worry, we will help you with this.)

• Other animals.

  We are in favor of pupp yraisers having other pets. This allows our puppies to get exposure to other animals and gives you more opportunities to socialize and train your puppy. However, your animals must accept a puppy in your home. If you have an older dog that is dog-aggressive, we will not be able to place a puppy with you. This prevents harm to the puppy, your other dog(s), or yourself. If your dog(s) is not experienced around puppies or you aren't sure how your other animals will react, we would be happy to set up an appointment with you for temperament testing.

Puppies are usually placed with puppy raisers around 8 weeks of age. Sometimes we have older puppies, or if a puppy raiser cannot finish a puppy we can move it to another home. Most of our puppies are either bred by us or donated to us from good breeding stock by reputable breeders. We do on occasion "swap" puppies with other programs. On rare occasions we use rescue or shelter dogs if we can trace the dog's history and it meets strict temperament and health testing requirements.

Depending on the dog's temperament and abilities they usually go to advanced training at around 18-22 months of age. After they successfully complete advanced training they are placed with a potential disabled handler for team training. If they pass team training the handler then officially graduates with the dog.

We have puppy raisers within our organization who have raised more than 10 dogs. Why do they keep coming back? Because there are few things in this world more heart-warming than handing your pup's leash over to its new partner and knowing that you've given a disabled handler a level of independence they didn't have before. Where else can one person have such a direct, profound, positive impact on another person's life? And if you have children, it's the opportunity to teach them first-hand about selflessness and giving to others.

And then you get another puppy and do it all over again.

To get in touch with us, click on the "Contact us" link in the left column and call, write, or send us an e-mail. We always need puppy raisers. The more puppy raisers we have, the more service dogs we can place with disabled handlers.