Raise a Guide Dog Puppy!

Don’t Isolate Alone

We are living in uncertain times.  As we continue to adjust to life during a pandemic, there is so much we just don’t know.  With California presently under a Shelter-In-Place order, and local “non-essential” businesses, schools and public gathering places shuttered, many of us feel helpless as we wonder what comes next.

As a social services organization that serves a facet of the disability community, Guide Dogs of America remains operational.  We’ve made significant adjustments to our daily routines in an effort to ensure the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, graduates and the community, but dogs continue to receive training, moving them closer to their goal of becoming the eyes of a visually impaired or blind person.

Like all of you, we don’t know what the future holds.  What we DO know is our nursery is presently awash in puppy breath, with five litters of puppies who will be ready to meet their volunteer puppy raisers throughout the months of May and beyond.

We can’t do it without you.

Volunteer puppy raisers are the cornerstone of our training program at Guide Dogs of America.  The selfless act of welcoming a puppy into your home and heart ultimately empowers people who are blind and visually impaired to live with increased independence, confidence and mobility.  This meaningful volunteer work transforms lives.

Puppy raising is the ideal family project.  It teaches responsibility, animal care, empathy, service dog etiquette, and about the disability community.  It’s also great for empty nesters, newly retired folks, singles, couples, and pretty much anyone with the time to dedicate to training and a desire to help transform someone’s life.  As an added bonus, most raisers find they become wonderful friends with fellow raisers.  Plus, puppy breath is therapeutic!  It’s hard to have a bad day when accompanied by a good dog!

To learn more about our puppy-raising program, we invite you to attend our upcoming Puppy Raiser Info Session, held online, on Saturday, May 16 at 10:30 a.m.  Together, we can MAKE TEAMS COME TRUE!  But this only happens when we have enough puppy raisers!  As the reality of life during a pandemic continues to unfold, we are unable to be out in the community, adorable dogs in tow, to help raise awareness of our program and the ongoing need for puppy raisers.  We ask that you kindly share this blog post via your personal social media platforms to help us make sure each and every one of our VIPs (Very Important Puppies) finds a wonderful puppy raiser to give them a great start in life.

To learn more about puppy raising with Guide Dogs of America, please visit the Puppy Raising Program page of the website, or call the Puppy Department at (818) 833-6447.  THANK YOU for considering joining us on this very special journey!

Stay safe.  Be well!  We will get through this together.

– Guide Dogs of America