Our Role

Our role, as volunteer puppy raisers for Dogs Inc* in Palmetto, FL, is to take a nine-week-old puppy into our homes to provide its early conditioning.  Aspects of our job include:

          - providing a loving home
          - supplying food, toys, and accessories
          - teaching basic skills
          - teaching cues specific to our dogs' careers
          - attending twice-monthly area outings
          - socializing our puppies to humans and other dogs
          - exposing our puppies to every imaginable sight, sound, and
                 situation
          - communicating with the community about Dogs Inc
          - returning the puppy to Dogs Inc for its formal training after
                 12-16 months.

Guide dog candidates wear a purple cloth coat which reflects their status as puppies in training.  They accompany their raisers into stores, offices, hotels, theaters, etc. to become confident in all settings.

When our puppies mature and leave our homes, they return to Dogs Inc for their formal harness training with certified guide dog trainers.  This process takes approximately four to six months.  During the final months of instruction, the training staff looks for an ideal match for each dog from amongst the files of student applicants.

Most Dogs Inc puppies are whelped on our Palmetto campus from our own breeding stock.


From the Dogs Inc website ( http://www.dogsinc.org/ ) :


MISSION

Dogs Inc transforms lives by creating and nurturing extraordinary partnerships between people and dogs.


OVERVIEW

Dogs Inc, is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization.


Our school has provided guide dogs to people with visual impairments since 1982.  It also trains and places service dogs with military veterans as well as skilled companion dogs with children and families.  All of our dogs are placed at no cost to their recipients due to our generous donors.


FACILITIES

Twenty-three-acre campus featuring a park-like setting, three kennels, nine student rooms, a full-service cafeteria, a gift shop, and an administrative facility in Palmetto, Florida.


For more information on raising a Dogs Inc puppy, go to www.dogsinc.org and click on "Get involved" --> "Raise a Puppy."

4210 77th Street East, Palmetto, FL 34221 (941)729-5665

* As of May 1, 2024, we are Southeastern Guide Dogs doing business as Dogs Inc.  Same mission. Shorter name.