Life as a Puppy Rasier for Guide Dogs of America

Volunteer Puppy Raisers are an essential part of our training program at Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines.  Every successful guide dog and service dog team had a Puppy Raiser who gave them plenty of love, taught them basic skills and provided experiences to allow them to feel safe in the world.

Guide and service dog puppies are placed with carefully screened foster families and individuals, known as “puppy raisers,” when they are 8 weeks old, learning proper house manners, basic obedience, and providing experiences that will give them confidence in the world during the first year of their life. At any given time, we have 150-200 puppies in homes.