Raising Puppies for the Blind
Puppy raising for the blind, relies upon volunteers to raise German Shepherd, Labrador and Golden Retriever puppies that are later trained as dog guides for the visually impaired. Placed in "Foster" homes when they are six to eight weeks old, the puppies are raised by the families until they are 12 to 15 months old. The young dogs are then returned to the Leader Dog School to be evaluated for the formal training program.
Raising a Leader Dog puppy requires a lot of time, love and attention from all members of a household. Therefore, deciding to participate in the puppy raising program should be a well thought out family project.