Co-Raising Agreement

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?