I once heard of a program that “Trained” and socialized puppies in preparation for guide/assistance dog training. Puppies were placed in a home for up to a year where they would be socialized, taught basic obedience and house breaking etc by the host family…
Does anyone have contact and information regarding such a program?
I am particularly interested in programs located in the South Eastern part of Massachusetts?
Seeing Eye dogs are trained only at the Seeing Eye, in Morristown, NJ. It does not appear they place puppies anywhere in Mass.http://www.seeingeye.org/raise/default.a…
Here’s a list of other guide dog schools from across the U.S. and around the world. You might find one on this list you can work with. Some require you to live within a certain radius of their facility and others do not. So you’ll just have to make some inquiries.
If you want to find a reputable service dog program to work with, you might check the membership list of Assistance Dogs International:http://www.assistancedogsinternational.o…
What you are asking about is called Puppy Raising.. I did it for 2 years for a group here in Ohio..
Here’s a few groups to check into.. Im not sure which ones have programs in your state, but its a start..http://www.seeingeye.org/raise/default.a…http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer…http://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/raisin…
Check with the local 4H club. Many of them have a Guide Puppy affiliate.