Raising a Guide Dog. Do You Have What It Takes?

Years ago, I knew of someone who adopted a black Labrador puppy. Or rather, agreed to care for the puppy from eight weeks of age to one year, with the understanding that once grown, the dog would be relinquished back to the organization that would be training it to be a service dog. Their decision to offer a temporary home to the puppy was tied to their young daughter’s desire for a dog. They figured the foster setup was a perfect test to see how genuinely committed she was to caring for a dog.

Of course, the plan seriously backfired when it was time to hand their dog back, and the family were totally heartbroken. Which is why I would seriously struggle to foster.

The happy end to the story is that shortly afterward, their dog’s high-energy personality was deemed not suitable for the role of service dog and the foster parents were approached about officially adopting him. Which they readily agreed to.

To me, anyone committed to temporary ownership of a soon-to-be service or guide dog is a truly special breed. And one such individual is Cameron Northwood of Calgary, Alberta. His charge is an eight-month-old Labrador retriever named Zani, who is being raised to ultimately become a guide dog with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB).

In the United States, Canine Companions has been a leading supplier of service dogs for over 50 years and relies on volunteers to foster their fur crew from puppyhood to trainee age. Typically relying on Golden Retrievers and Black Labrador Retrievers, their dogs come through their breeding program out of California, and their expectation of prospective pet parents is that they will cover the cost of food (though a recent partnership with Eukanuba brings nice discounts), twice-monthly training, and veterinarian expenses.

In Canada, one of the top sources of service dogs is the CNIB, and according to the organization’s “puppy development trainer,” prospective foster parents are given the choice of taking in a younger puppy or a six-month-old dog. They must be prepared to commit for a period of 12 to 18 months, where socializing this furry trainee includes taking him to a wide range of environments and situations that he may experience once he begins working. City streets, busy crowds, and other animals… the type of exposure essential to ensuring this dog-in-training is familiar and comfortable with the unexpected.

Requirements from the CNIB also include having access to a vehicle, a willingness to attend your pooch’s training sessions and the ability to handle and house a larger, typically energetic, dog breed. Background checks, an in-person interview, and a home inspection to determine suitability will also take place before they hand over the leash.

Unlike their US counterpart, the CNIB provides for food expenses and covers regular veterinary costs as well as training expenses.

But what happens when it’s time to say goodbye? According to volunteer puppy raiser Kesia Gray, the organization’s team stays in touch with the foster parents and sends them regular updates so they know how their dogs are doing. Something, she says, is akin to sending the kids off to college.

Hey, I tear up when I’m leaving my trio at the groomers for a few hours!