My Pass Along Journey: Welcoming Yoko into Our Home

Written by Anne Preston, Leader Dog Puppy Raiser

Being a part of the volunteer engagement department at Leader Dog, I’ve always been curious about the puppy raising experience from a volunteer’s perspective! Since starting my career with Leader three years ago, I’ve been waiting for the right time to raise a puppy. I recognized it was a significant commitment and wanted to be thoroughly prepared.

Allison, one of my colleagues in the puppy development department, introduced me to Yoko! She had been raised in the prison program for the first half of her life and needed exposure to a home environment. Allison convinced me by sharing an adorable puppy photo and describing how much love and affection “Yoyo” had to give.

What made the Pass Along program so appealing was its flexibility—it wasn’t a full year commitment. I could choose to take a puppy for either the first 2-7 months of their life or the following 7-13 months. As a new homeowner constantly working on house projects, I wasn’t sure about welcoming a puppy that would need house training. Yoko being 8 months old meant she arrived housebroken with basic obedience skills already established, which significantly reduced my stress!

Beyond giving her countless belly rubs, we’re introducing Yoko to many new environments and sounds she hasn’t experienced before. She loves watching TV and is currently fascinated with sniffing everything new she encounters. We hope she continues to adapt well to our neighborhood and that regular household noises become familiar to her.

This experience has been a wonderful introduction to puppy raising and has built confidence in both me and my partner. We now feel capable of potentially raising younger puppies in the future should we choose to continue this rewarding journey.