Joining a GDB Puppy Club
Guide Dogs for the Blind's puppy raising volunteers may be members of a local puppy raising club. Clubs include leaders, puppy raisers, puppy sitters, and club volunteers.
Each club is managed at the local level by volunteer puppy club leaders who:
- Recruit, train, and support puppy raising volunteers as they learn their roles, skills, and responsibilities.
- Host club activities, including meetings and socialization outings.
- Work with a Guide Dogs for the Blnd (GDB) staff puppy raising field manager (PFM) to maintain GDB guidelines for raising puppies.
Lifelong Friendships
Joining a puppy club is a great way to connect with others who share the commitment of raising puppies in support of GDB’s mission. Puppy clubs are like family, celebrating successes together and providing a reliable network of community and support. Puppy club outings are a blast! They are a great way to bond with your puppy and other volunteers at ice cream socials, movies, restaurants, backyard BBQs, community events, and more!
Life Happens!
Most puppy clubs have dedicated puppy sitters available to help (e.g., vacation, illness, a long day of meetings, etc.). If a puppy raiser needs a puppy sitter, they can reach out to their leader to discuss a plan. The puppy club leader or PFM should know where each puppy is at all times.
When joining a puppy club, puppy raising volunteers gain the support and knowledge of club leaders and other club members. GDB puppy clubs host at least one club activity each month, which may be a club meeting, socialization outing, or combination of both. This activity should be appropriate for all puppies in the club, regardless of age. The club may host additional activities, including outings appropriate for puppies over the age of 5 months (e.g., riding public transit or going to a public park with pet dogs present). All club members will be invited to all club activities each month, regardless of the age of the puppy they are raising.
Puppy clubs are encouraged to share club news, updates, and other information in writing in a club newsletter, or via a virtual recording or meeting.
Puppy club members currently raising a GDB puppy are encouraged to attend all club activities with the puppy they are raising, as appropriate. These activities are important for both raisers and puppies and ensure opportunities for necessary coaching, socialization experiences, and participation within the GDB puppy raising community. Puppy sitters are also encouraged to attend club activities and find opportunities to practice and stay current with hands-on puppy raising skills.
If a puppy raiser is not attending club activities on an ongoing basis, a puppy club leader will have a conversation with that volunteer and their PFM to consider if the club model is still a good fit for them, or if they may fit into an alternative GDB puppy raising model.
For more information about puppy club leaders and their role in puppy clubs, club requirements and structure, and club fundraising, see Club Leadership.
For puppy raisers with puppies under 5 months of age, puppy club leaders will check in weekly to offer support. These check-ins can be informal, and in any format including texting, phone calls, email, or virtual. The leader and raiser can work together to find the best format.
Co-raising refers to two or more puppy raising households choosing to raise a puppy - or more than one puppy - at the same time. This option can provide volunteers with a way to raise a puppy while sharing the responsibilities along the way. Co-raising can also help a puppy be more comfortable with transitions in its schedule and become accustomed to different handlers, both of which are helpful for the development of a service dog. Co-raising a puppy requires cooperation and communication. The optional Co-Raising Agreement was designed to help all co-raisers make decisions and feel confident that the puppy they share will have its needs met in a consistent and equitable way.
GDB puppy raising clubs operate solely under the guidelines and expectations of GDB, unless they are affiliated with another organization (i.e., 4H, FFA). In such situations, puppy raising management can identify the methods to best operate these types of clubs and activities, consulting with the other organization as appropriate. Joint service dog clubs are not allowed within the GDB puppy raising structure.
If a leader or member of a GDB puppy raising club decides to raise a dog for another guide dog or service dog school, they are to maintain their work with that dog separate from the GDB club and puppies. Different programs have very different training methods and cues. To avoid confusion, it is necessary to keep the GDB puppy club activities for the training and socialization of its own program puppies.
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