Raising a Future Leader Dog doesn’t just change someone else’s life , it changes yours. Puppy raisers are the backbone of our guide dog program, helping each puppy build the confidence and skills they’ll need to become a trusted guide.
You don’t need prior experience to get started. If you want to make a meaningful impact, you can be a puppy raiser and we will support you every step of the way.
As a puppy raiser you will welcome a Future Leader Dog to your home and help them learn basic cues and behavior while introducing them to new environments. The journey you take with a Future Leader Dog will lay the foundation for official guide dog training and fuel their success during instruction with our guide dog mobility instructors (GDMI). Raising a Leader Dog puppy is a special opportunity to participate directly in a life-changing program for people who are blind or low vision.
Leader Dog Hondo plays a role in my life that no human ever could. When I had lost all hope of feeling happy again, he gave me a new life. He has filled the gaps left by what I once lost and brought vibrant color back into my world. With him always by my side, I never feel alone, afraid or lost.
In this model, you’ll care for a puppy in your home for 12 to 15 months, supporting their early development through structure, socialization, training, and love. This role is a great fit for retirees, families, active singles, and empty nesters who want to play a hands-on role in shaping a future Leader Dog.
This option is for someone who wants to share duties with a person from another household. The primary and secondary raisers work together to schedule who the puppy is with and when. Ideal for people who live near each other and can share the responsibilities during the year they raise a Future Leader Dog together.
In this model, one raiser cares for the puppy during the first half of their journey, and a second raiser takes over for the second half. This option is ideal for individuals who aren’t able to commit to raising a puppy from start to finish. Some volunteers prefer the early stages with a younger puppy, while others enjoy working with a dog who already has foundational behaviors and is ready to continue building skills as a Future Leader Dog before returning to campus.
College students may raise a puppy while studying on campuses that have been approved by Leader Dog. Students must participate in the campus puppy club and meet with an assigned puppy counselor. In this option, all supplies, veterinary care and food are paid for by Leader Dog.
Employees can raise puppies individually or in teams of up to three. Great for employee engagement and social responsibility. Provides marketing, traditional media and social media opportunities.
Are you ready to make a life-changing difference? Join our volunteer puppy raiser program and help care for the next generation of Leader Dogs.
To ensure a safe and supportive environment for our dogs, clients, team members, and volunteers, all volunteers are required to successfully complete a background check as the first step in the approval process. Once the background check and application are approved, we’ll schedule a convenient time for you to visit our Rochester Hills, Michigan campus to welcome your Future Leader Dog into your home.
Most of our dogs are purebred or crossbred Labrador and golden retrievers, known for their intelligence and gentle temperament.
When you pick up your puppy, you’ll have the joy of choosing their name, and while we recommend keeping it short and simple for training purposes, feel free to get creative within reason. And don’t forget to take the iconic photo with your puppy by the Leader Dog statue in front of the canine development center!
We’ve designed the volunteer puppy raising program around a timeline that ensures consistent instruction for every guide dog class. You’ll care for your Future Leader Dog for approximately six to 15 months, giving you plenty of time to create cherished memories while helping them develop essential skills. When it’s time for their official guide dog instruction to begin, you’ll bring them back to campus, a bittersweet moment that marks their next important chapter toward changing the life of someone who is blind or low vision.
Your puppy needs to experience the world through different environments and situations to become a confident guide dog. Though they make the best companions, you do not need to take them everywhere you go. Your Future Leader Dog also needs to learn independence and comfort being alone at home. Real life requires flexibility between puppy and raiser, but also between guide dog and client.
Whether you’ve trained dozens of dogs or this is your first puppy experience, we provide comprehensive support tailored to your needs. From pickup day, you will have the Puppy Raisers Manual as a go-to guide for every situation.
You will also be assigned to a dedicated puppy counselor who is an experienced volunteer with a wealth of knowledge and advice on raising a Future Leader Dog.
Puppy counselors hold monthly, hands-on puppy classes where they will help you practice skills while working with your Future Leader Dog. As a puppy raiser you are required to attend these meetings.
Through your puppy class meetings and puppy outings, you will meet other volunteer puppy raisers who are on the same journey as you! You will be part of a community of raisers who are experiencing the same bond, frustrations, pride and challenges you feel while raising a Future Leader Dog.
You can live anywhere in the U.S., but you will have to travel to our campus in Rochester Hills, Michigan for pickup and return of your Future Leader Dog.
Financially, you’ll be responsible for providing food and toys for your puppy. For vet care, it depends on where you live. If you’re close enough to the Leader Dog campus to use our veterinary clinic, vet visits are free. If you live farther away, you’ll use a local veterinarian and cover the costs of the puppy’s routine care, with ongoing support and guidance from our veterinary team.
Work full-time? Many raisers do! You’ll need puppy care when away, though many workplaces welcome well-behaved puppies. The primary raiser must be 18 years or older, but kids are often a part of the experience attending puppy classes with the adult raiser.
Realizing how far we had both come was so rewarding. Having her successfully matched with a client was just magical.
My most endearing moments are when I get to meet the clients that receive one of the puppies that I have raised. This helps me to witness the direct impact I have on this program and to stay motivated to continue.
Raising puppies gives my life purpose. I am improving the quality of another person's life using my skills and talents and having fun meeting people while I do the work!
We offer an on-demand info session recording for people interested in raising a Future Leader Dog. If you’d like to hear from our team about what being a puppy raiser is like, please fill out the form below to receive a link to the pre-recorded presentation!
Recognized with the Community Partnership Award from the Mutual of America Foundation, Leader Dogs for the Blind’s prison puppy raising program is a nationally respected initiative that has been transforming lives, both human and canine, since 2002. In November 2013, Leader Dog, Lions Clubs International, Purina Pro Plan, and the Iowa Department of Corrections were jointly honored for the program’s exceptional collaboration and impact.
Through partnerships with correctional facilities, selected inmates who demonstrate model behavior provide 24/7 care for Future Leader Dogs. During this time, puppies learn basic cues, socialization skills, and foundational behaviors critical to their success as guide dogs.
This renowned program creates lasting impact for everyone involved. Puppies bring comfort, reduce tension, and strengthen social connections within facilities. Raisers develop responsibility, patience, and compassion while gaining valuable job skills and a renewed sense of purpose. Participants may also complete a Dog Care Professional Course through their Leader Dog counselor, earning a certification they can use after parole. To date, hundreds of puppies have graduated and gone on to serve individuals who are blind or low vision.
Leader Dog currently partners with the following correctional facilities:
| Facility Name | State |
|---|---|
| Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility | Ionia, MI |
| Chippewa Correctional Facility | Kincheloe, MI |
| G Robert Cotton Correctional Facility | Jackson, MI |
| Ionia Correctional Facility | Ionia, MI |
| Macomb Correctional Facility | New Haven, MI |
| Marquette Branch Prison | Marquette, MI |
| Oaks Correctional Facility | Manistee, MI |
| Richard A. Handlon | Ionia, MI |
| Grafton Correctional Facility | Grafton, OH |
| Trumbull Correctional Institute | Leavittsburg, OH |
| Lino Lakes Correctional Facility | Lino Lakes, MN |
KPA-CTP, TAGteach Level 1,
Manager of Raiser and Host Experience
TAGteach Level 1, Puppy Development Coordinator
Local Michigan Raisers
Puppy Development Coordinator - Prison Puppies
Puppy Development Coordinator - Litter & BCL
Puppy Development Coordinator
Puppy Development Coordinator
Puppy Development Coordinator
Early Puppy Development & Host Coordinator
Puppy Development Administrator
Yes, and in fact, having pets in the home with your Leader Dog puppy can be a valuable learning opportunity for the puppy. To ensure the puppy’s health, your personal dogs will need to be up to date on their vaccines.
If you’re going on vacation and the puppy isn’t going with you, you’ll need to find a puppy sitter or take your puppy to a boarding facility. Fortunately, members of our puppy raiser community like to help each other out in this situation.
No, a fenced-in yard is not a requirement — though it is convenient for puppy potty breaks. The important thing is to make sure your puppy is safe and secure when outdoors, no matter where you are.
Future Leader Dogs are not service dogs yet and don’t have automatic access rights to public places. Many businesses may be open to having your puppy visit, but it’s always best to ask first.