What to Know
- Future guide dogs stay with volunteer puppy raisers as part of a process that helps them adjust to life as working dogs
- GDA staff will conduct an in-home interview with potential foster volunteers and an orientation session
- Volunteers will learn the skills they need to help their puppies reach their potential as guide dogs
Southern California-based Guide Dogs of America is looking for volunteer puppy raisers to open their homes to puppies in training during the holiday season.
Puppies from the organization's fall litters will be placed in foster homes in December and early January. The puppy raisers will help the young dogs prepare for formal training and life as working guide dogs.
Plus, the holidays are always better with puppies.
Potential Puppy Raisers: Click here for information and to apply
"If you ever dreamt of a puppy for Christmas, now's your chance to realize that dream while doing something meaningful for another person," said Stephanie Colman, GDA's puppy program coordinator. "Not only will an adorable puppy add immeasurable joy to the holiday season, our volunteer puppy raisers are critical to GDA's mission of helping people who are blind or visually impaired enjoy increased mobility and independence through the use of a highly skilled guide dog."
About the Process
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The puppies go through a program during their first seven weeks of life to help them adapt to their new foster homes. After a two-week adjustment period, volunteers and their puppies will attend classes taught by GDA trainers -- like Kindergarten for dogs.
The do-and-don't lessons learned during those classes provide volunteers with the tools they need to build basic obedience skills and help their puppies adapt to life out in the world as working guide dogs.
If a dog successfully completes formal training, it will be paired with a blind or visually impaired partner. The students spend three weeks on the GDA campus, getting to know their canine companions.
The organization accepts an average of 60 students per year. Completion of the training process is celebrated with a graduation ceremony.
"There's nothing like watching a blind person working with their trained guide dog," said Colman. "So many students come to class hesitant and unsure, but then we see them standing tall and proud with their dog at their side. Graduation is an emotional day for everyone."
What Interested Raisers Should Know
There are a few requirements anyone interested in raising a puppy should know about.
- Must live in Southern California and attend a local puppy raiser meeting to meet other volunteers. The next orientations are scheduled for Nov. 11. Click here for information and to apply.
- GDA staff will conduct an in-home interview with potential foster volunteers and an orientation session
- Must attend weekly puppy classes, monthly meetings, special events
- Veterinary care will be provided on the Sylmar campus
- Puppies cannot be left home alone for extended periods of time
- Raisers working outside the home must have permission to bring their puppy to work
- GDA liability insurance is designed to protect raiser and employers at work
- Volunteers with children and well-behaved pets are welcome to participate
- At 18 months, the puppies head back to the GDA campus in Sylmar for formal training
"We do everything possible to ensure these puppies grow up to become successful working guides," said Carol Ann Heinis, GDA's canine development lead. "We give them the best start possible before they leave the campus, and support raisers every step of the way. Puppy raisers play a critical role in our success; we simply cannot enrich our clients’ lives without dedicated puppy raisers."
