By LOIS KINDLE
lekindle@aol.com
At Dog’s Inc, a future guide or service dog’s path begins long before training. It starts with a strong breeding program. You can play an important role by welcoming one of its carefully selected breeding dogs into your home.
“When we give tours of our Palmetto campus, we like to say that everything at Dogs Inc starts at our Puppy Academy,” said Melissa Silver, the director of volunteer programs. “But everything really starts with the dogs in our breeding program. These dogs — and their volunteer hosts — are the ones who make our mission possible.”
As a volunteer “parent,” you become a vital partner with Dogs Inc staff in caring for one of these dogs throughout its breeding years and then have the option of adopting it as a family pet.
Just ask Alexis Anderson, a volunteer breeder host for more than six years. Her Labrador retriever, Skippy, produced several litters before becoming her family’s pet and the ambassador of West Coast Golf Cars.
“My husband, Stuart, and I have been associated with Dogs Inc for more than 30 years, since it was known as Southeastern Guide Dogs and the only thing on the campus was a trailer,” she said. “We initially did business with them and took our children over the early years to pet the puppies in the nursery.
“Before Skippy, we had Skylar — a career-changed lab we adored,” she continued. “When she died in 2018, we thought we’d never find another one like her, but two years later we decided to host a breeder dog.”
Skippy was 2 ½ at the time. Now nine, she will retire when the Andersons do. They recently took in another breeder dog, Millie, who’ll live with them at home.
“Both of them are well-trained, well-behaved, sweet, loving — everything you’d want in a dog,” Anderson said. The bottom line is we’re helping Dog’s Inc, and it is very rewarding to be part of its important mission. And from a personal standpoint, we’ve had a wonderful time interacting with these beautiful animals and being able to adopt them once their careers are over.”
The Andersons’ 29-year-old son Paul is now involved in the program. As a new host of Nikki, a lab who just turned two and was pregnant when he took her in, he’s thoroughly enjoyed his role as her volunteer “parent” and working side-by-side with Dog’s Inc staff as she whelped her nine puppies.
He was excited to visit Nikki and her puppies weekly as she nursed them over the past six weeks. Now whelped, the pups will be going to their puppy raisers on
Sept. 19, and Nikki is back home. She’s resumed going back and forth to work with him at West Coast and will one day take over Skippy’s role as the shop’s ambassador.
“It’s been a good experience and absolutely worth it,” he said. “I like the program, what Dogs Inc does, and I’m happy to support its mission.”
How you can take part
The Dogs Inc Breeder Host Program seeks qualified volunteers who live within 75 minutes or 75 miles of the Palmetto campus. Dogs Inc keeps legal ownership of each dog during its breeding career and covers all veterinary care and heartworm prevention. As a breeder host, you’ll be responsible for supplying the dog’s approved food brand and flea-and-tick preventative, while also providing its day-to-day care, enrichment and a safe home environment.
You’ll bring the dog to Palmetto for its health and wellness exams, veterinary care, breeding appointments and the like, maintain its basic skills, manners and grooming habits and attend a few training classes each year.
In return, you’ll gain the companionship of a world-class dog who will live with you as a family member.
Dogs selected for the breeding program are typically chosen around 18 months of age and are generally ready to go home with a host within three to four weeks of acceptance. Dogs Inc usually has three to five breeders available for hosting each month.
Becoming a host begins with an online self assessment to confirm eligibility, based on location, home setup and household routines. Applicants who qualify submit the official application, followed by a phone interview and in home orientation with a canine host coordinator.
Once approved, placement in your home typically takes about six months. Households may have up to three personal pets if they meet Dogs Inc vaccination standards. And if you need to travel or take a break, your breeder dog may be boarded on campus, as space allows, or you can use the program’s puppy parent sitter program or approved home sitters.
Female breeders typically produce up to four litters, males usually sire six to 10, and most dogs retire around age five or six. Your commitment is generally between three to five years.
If you think this life-changing volunteer role is for you, visit dogsinc.org/.