What is
Puppy Raising?

Puppy raising is a volunteer based position and opportunity to give back to the disabled community. Our puppy raisers spend a little more than a year raising, training, and socializing our program dogs to the big world around them. Raisers work to incorporate the dogs into much of their daily lives. Dogs accompany raisers everywhere they go: to the office, grocery store, post office, doctor appointments, on public transportation, etc. College students bring their program dogs with them to classes and often live on campus with raisers. We even have disabled handlers with their own service dog, who now want to help raise a puppy for someone else to change their life as well. All of this is to help ensure our puppies grow into well-behaved, confident adult dogs ready to begin learning specialized service dog skills when they return to our formal trainers at about 12-14 months old.

  

We often hear people say, “I’d love to raise a puppy, but I could never give it up, I would get too attached!” This is completely normal and all of our raisers and trainers get attached to our dogs. When it’s time to send your program puppy “off to college,” of course it’s bittersweet. But here’s the thing. You aren’t “giving the dog up,” you’re “giving the dog forward.” You raise a puppy that will help alert to medical episodes, provide mobility assistance, or relief to someone with autism just to name a few. You raise a puppy to change a life. There are few things in this world more heart-warming than seeing your pup work seamlessly with its disabled handler knowing that you’ve given someone a level of independence that she or he did not have before. The amount of joy, pride, and love that fills the void in your heart when your puppy graduates is immeasurable. This opens up a spot in your home (and heart!) for the next puppy to change someone else's life.

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If you would like to puppy raise, but can't commit to a full year, Precision has short term opportunities as well! We often need raisers for 3-6mths, and if you live nearby, sometimes even shorter than 3mths. Precision has raisers all over the US, from Alabama to Louisiana, California, Massachusetts and Georgia! Unlike many programs, Precision provides transportation to our puppy raisers and covers all expenses such as veterinary bills, food and treats, a vest, crate, and any training or raising supplies needed while the puppy is in your care.