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Co-Raising Agreement

Two women, each sitting next to a guide dog puppy on a wooded path.

Co-raising a puppy for Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) with one or more raiser households can be a very rewarding experience! Here are some things that can be helpful to discuss ahead of time to help get everyone on the same page.

Schedule

  • Who will have the puppy in their household when? Consider if you will trade once a month, every other week, or if one home will have the puppy on weekdays and another on weekends, etc.
  • How will the puppy be transferred between homes?
  • If one raiser is going on vacation or out of town for work, will the puppy travel with them or stay with the co-raiser?

Veterinary Care

  • All vaccinations and general care should be done by the same veterinarian.
    • It can be helpful for one raiser to be responsible for regular vet appointments. Who will this be?
    • If your veterinarian can, consider leaving reimbursement forms at their practice to make it easier for all co-raisers.

Food, Toys, and Supplies

  • Each household should have their own food supply.
  • Each household should have their own crate, toys, etc.

Other Topics to Discuss

  • Who will handle the puppy at club activities?
  • If things do not work out for one raiser family, would a co-raiser be willing to finish the puppy themselves, find another co-raiser, or would the puppy need to be transferred?
  • If the puppy needs to be taken to GDB, who is responsible for transportation?
  • Who will keep any memorabilia items from the puppy (collar tags, etc.)?
  • If you live within 75 miles of the GDB California campus, who will have the first option to apply as a breeder custodian?

Career Change
This is an important conversation between co-raisers, and these discussions should happen before receiving a puppy. Things may change during the puppy raising experience, and having an agreement up front should alleviate problems later.

  • If the puppy is career changed, which raiser has the first right to adopt?

Co-Raising Agreement Form

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