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Guide Dogs for the Blind - Highlands Ranch, CO Puppy Raisers

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Our club is currently raising 8 puppies:

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Viana, Swayze, TeddyB, Merlin,

Rush, Shaw, Wolf, and Worthy.

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We have 3 puppies in formal training on campus: Renoir, Tilden, and Kyle.

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Read more about the phases of formal training here.

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More information about our club:

We are a Guide Dogs for the Blind volunteer puppy raising club located in Highlands Ranch, CO.  Don't let the name fool you! We have raisers/puppy sitters in Parker, Castle Rock, Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Littleton, Roxborough, Ken Caryl, Lakewood, and more.  We're always looking for volunteers to join us, regardless of your address. No prior dog training experience is necessary.  Our monthly meetings and outings will teach you what you need to know to raise a puppy. The members of our club are excellent support for each other throughout this process.

 

Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) is a nonprofit, charitable organization that was established in 1942 to provide a safe means of mobility for people who are blind and visually impaired. GDB is the largest guide dog school in the country and continues its dedication to quality student training services and extensive follow-up support for graduates. GDB receives no government funds. Services are provided to students from the United States and Canada at no cost to them.  

 

Volunteer puppy raisers receive a guide dog puppy at approximately eight weeks old, and the pup will return to one of GDB’s campuses for formal training between 15 and 17 months old. We are responsible for teaching the puppies good manners and providing them with comprehensive socialization experiences. Puppy raisers can have other pets in their home and if you are not able to commit to raising a puppy full time, there are still other ways to get involved with our local puppy club, such as puppy sitting. And, GDB's puppy raising program complements many FFA, 4H, homeschooling, high school, and college programs.

 

Come and join us! We usually meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.  Please use the Contact Us link at the bottom of this page for more information about puppy raising. 

 

To learn more about Guide Dogs for the Blind, please visit guidedogs.com. 

 

Interested in becoming a puppy raiser? 

We’re always looking for more people to join our club.  No special training is needed. We provide all training and support at our monthly meetings. Learn more in our Club Profile, the Get Involved section, or you can contact our leader.

 

Want to get involved? Not ready for a year-long commitment to raising a puppy? You could “start” a puppy from about 8 weeks until about 5 months, finish a “transfer” puppy, co-raise a puppy with another raiser, or be a puppy sitter. We have a lot of ways you can get involved!

 

Thanks for visiting!