Rochester Hills, Michigan, Aug. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leader Dogs for the Blind has made volunteering to host a breeding dog in your home more accessible by adding options to fit more lifestyles. They are currently in need of individuals or families to become Volunteer Breeding Hosts for Leader Dog Moms.
Hosting a Leader Dog Mom lets you directly impact Leader Dog’s ability to provide highly trained guide dogs to people who are blind or visually impaired. You also get to enjoy having a well-bred Labrador retriever or golden retriever as part of your family and/or have the wonderful experience of caring for a dog and puppies during, and for seven weeks after, birth.
What was once two options, hosting a mom or a dad, is now five options that make hosting more flexible to fit a variety of home environments.
- Breeding Mom Host (whelp): Care for an adult female dog in your home including having her give birth (whelp) at home and caring for her puppies until seven weeks old. Must live within six hours of Leader Dog’s campus.
- Breeding Mom Host (non-whelp): Care for an adult female dog in your home except when she is giving birth (whelping) in another host’s home and until her puppies are seven weeks old. Must live within six hours of Leader Dog’s campus.
- Whelp & Litter Host: Have a Leader Dog Mom birth (whelp) in your home and care for the litter until seven weeks of age. Must live within two hours of Leader Dog’s campus.
- Temporary Host: House a Leader Dog Mom or Dad in your home for no longer than one year. Must live within two hours of Leader Dog’s campus.
- Breeding Dad Host: Care for an adult male dog in your home and drive the dog to Leader Dog as requested for breeding duties. Must live within four hours of Leader Dog’s campus.
“All breeding host volunteers are extremely well supported by our breeding and veterinary staff, so you don’t need experience to be a breeding host,” said Dana Hunter, Leader Dog breeding manager. “We provide online training and comprehensive guidelines backed with personal support. And when your dog is whelping, veterinarian support is available 24/7.”
All positions except for Temporary Host can adopt the dog in their care upon retirement or a dog from a litter born in their home. All veterinary care, until the breeding dog retires, is provided for free by Leader Dog along with heartworm and flea/tick medications.
A “Meet the Moms” event is being held on Leader Dog’s campus in Rochester Hills, Michigan on Thursday, August 24 from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm for people interested in learning more about these fun and unique volunteer opportunities. Meet current Leader Dog Moms, current volunteer breeding hosts and learn more about the options for hosting a dog in your home.
Anyone unable to attend the event can sign up for an online Info Session about becoming a host at LeaderDog.org/Volunteer. Info Sessions are held monthly.
All Leader Dogs for the Blind services are provided free to clients thanks to our volunteers and donations from individuals, foundations, corporations and service organizations like Lions Clubs International. Leader Dog receives no government funding or insurance payments.
Go to LeaderDog.org to learn more about Leader Dogs for the Blind.
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About Leader Dogs for the Blind
Leader Dogs for the Blind is a nonprofit organization providing people who are blind or visually
impaired with lifelong skills for safe and independent daily travel using a guide dog or a white cane. All services are provided free of charge. The organization also trains guide dogs for people who are DeafBlind, offers a summer camp for teens, and holds seminars for orientation and mobility (O&M) professionals and university students. Leader Dogs for the Blind partners with agencies and O&M professionals throughout the U.S. to provide their clients with supplemental O&M training. For more information, call (888) 777-5332 or visit LeaderDog.org.
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