Puppies
We foster and socialize puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. The puppies are bred and born in San Rafael, California. When they are approximately eight weeks old, they go to their foster homes throughout the Western states such as, California, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.
They will stay in our homes for about a year before being recalled for formal training. While in the raiser's home, the puppy will learn basic obedience, manners, and how to behave in public. Raisers will socialize the puppies in many situations in order to prepare them to be guide dog candidates.
In formal training
After spending about a year in a puppy raiser's home, the puppy returns to Guide Dogs for the Blind for more formal training where he or she will learn to guide a visually impaired partner. Puppy raisers are responsible for providing all the socialization, basic training, attention, and love, the puppy requires to become a guide dog candidate. The actual guidework training is done by the professional instructors on the Guide Dogs campus (in either California or Oregon).
Graduates
There are currently two ways a dog can "graduate" from guide dog school.
Working Guide- After 6-8 months of formal training, the dog is matched with a visually impaired partner. They train together and become a team.
Breeder Dog- The most exceptional dogs are chosen to join the breeding colony. These dogs live with a foster family in between litters.
Career changes
Our job is to raise puppies to their full potential also they are guide dog candidates. Not all of these puppies become guide dogs. These puppies are called career changed dogs because they go on to other careers including therapy, search and rescue, diabetic detection, law enforcement, and being a family pet.
The puppies on our website have already found their new careers, but if you can adopt others. Go to the adoption information page at Guide Dogs for the Blind.