Service Dog Puppy Raiser vs. Pet Puppy Parent
While there are some similarities between a service dog puppy raiser and an adoptive or foster pet parent, the differences are significant. Both types of dogs require exercise, food, and plenty of love, but because service dogs will inevitably have important responsibilities, they need extensive socialization and far more training than a pet puppy.
Putnam Service Dogs works closely with our volunteer service dog puppy raisers who provide safe, loving homes to facilitate the puppies’ health, wellbeing, training, and socialization. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer puppy raiser, understanding the differences between raising pets and service dog puppies is critical for success.
Understanding a Pet Puppy vs. a Service Dog
Whereas the benefits of pet ownership cannot be understated, adult service dogs spend their days providing a better overall quality of life for their recipients, which means they have far more responsibilities. Before deciding whether to adopt a puppy or foster a service dog puppy, consider the following information.
Pros and Cons of Adopting a Puppy
People adopt pet puppies for a wide range of reasons, whether they want a companion to share their lives with or they want to save a shelter puppy’s life. Understanding the pros and cons of choosing an adopted dog can help you make an informed decision.
Pros
Puppy ownership can be incredibly beneficial for many people. Some of the benefits associated with adopting a puppy include the following:
- Affordability: Though dogs require financial responsibility throughout their lives for things like veterinary care, food, toys, and accessories, adopting a pet puppy from a shelter is more affordable than purchasing at from a breeder.Pet shops often obtain their animals from “puppy mills,” which are highly unethical and inhumane. They are known for breeding large numbers of dogs in poor conditions that can develop behavioral issues, genetic abnormalities, or even diseases. Adopting from shelters, or a reputable breeder dissuades this practice, ultimately resulting in fewer puppy mills due to decreased demand. The pet store may claim they deal only with reputable breeders, but most breeders are quite protective of their pups, and want to personally be involved in who adopts their pups, not just who can afford the price the store charges.
- Plenty of Choice: When you’re adopting a puppy from a shelter in a larger county or city, you can often choose from a wide range of breed mixes and temperaments that suit your lifestyle. A good fit is key to a successful relationship. If you’re a couch potato, adopting a high energy, athletic dog will lead to frustration from both of you when the dog isn’t sufficiently exercised.
- Changing a Life: Although many shelters have worked hard to minimize overcrowding, it is still an issue in many places. Adopting a puppy from a shelter and providing it a comfortable, happy life is a great rescue for an unwanted pup. Most rescues up north get their pups transported from shelters in the Southern portion of the US. Some of these shelters may euthanize dogs if they have too many. Adopting a dog from a shelter, even a no kill shelter, may ultimately save a dog’s life.
- Improved Mental Health: Several studies suggest that dog ownership can improve physical and mental health. A 2021 study published in Frontiers of Veterinary Science noted that owning a pet dog can significantly reduce daily stress, resulting in better psychological, biological, and social health.
- Companionship: Finally, puppies serve as some of the best companions imaginable. Aside from keeping you company, they can encourage you to be more active, boost your mindfulness, and give you a sense of responsibility.
Cons
Asking yourself, “Am I ready for a puppy?” is all about understanding the responsibilities and potential drawbacks that come along with pet ownership. These can include the following:
- Puppy Loneliness: Puppies are used to living, sleeping, and eating next to other puppies – sometimes even their littermates – before they are adopted. As a result, some newly-adopted puppies may feel lonely and anxious for their first few weeks at home.
- Reactivity or Aggression: Depending on the puppy’s previous living situation, it may develop reactivity toward other dogs or aggression toward food. Again, extensive and careful training often improves these traits.
- Unknown Breed: When you adopt a puppy, you probably won’t know its breed or breed mix, which can pose a few challenges down the line. Different breeds often tend toward certain behavioral characteristics, health conditions, and special considerations. New DNA technology can allow you to determine a pet’s mix, but shelters typically don’t DNA test puppies prior to adoption because of cost and results aren’t known for several weeks.
- Lifestyle Changes: Finally, adopting a dog will almost certainly require you to make some important lifestyle changes. You will need to commit to house training, obedience training, a feeding schedule, walks, exercise, veterinary care, and plenty of other responsibilities that you may not have had previously. Adopting a puppy is like taking on a toddler, and they’re perhaps even more demanding because puppies don’t wear diapers. The first month of owning a puppy can be exhausting – house training the pup, getting it to sleep through the night, and constantly supervising it so it doesn’t get into trouble with chewing, soiling in the house, etc. New pups are high maintenance. Not something to be adopted, then left alone for all day while you’re at work.
Pros and Cons of Fostering a Service Dog Puppy
When you foster a service dog puppy, some of the pros and cons are the same – but the reasoning is often different. If you’re thinking of becoming a service dog puppy raiser, keep these benefits and potential pitfalls in mind.
Pros
Like adopting a dog, fostering a service dog puppy offers incredible companionship. You will spend most of your waking hours (especially during the first week) with your puppy, and the bond you can build is incredible. When you volunteer through Putnam Service Dogs, the fostering process is affordable, as well. We provide food, toys, a dog bed, accessories, veterinary visits, meetings with a trainer, and group support, which eases the strain on your wallet and allows you to focus on the most important task – raising a well-behaved, well-socialized, and well-loved future service dog.
The biggest difference with raising service dogs is their tremendous impact on their recipients’ quality of life. They can allow an individual with disabilities to go out into public alone, take public transportation, feel confident in their abilities, and otherwise overcome a wide range of physical, emotional, and even economic challenges.
Cons
The potential pitfalls of fostering a service dog puppy are also much the same as with pets, but there is one major difference to keep in mind: saying goodbye. After spending six to 18 months bonding with and training a service dog puppy, the puppy will eventually be ready to move on to six to nine months of formal training before moving in with his or her recipient. As a service dog puppy raiser, your selfless contribution changes the dog’s life – and the recipient’s life. Raising a service dog puppy is one of the most fulfilling and beautiful acts of love imaginable.
Lifestyle Considerations when Preparing for a New Puppy
Preparing for a new puppy requires a few lifestyle considerations that can help you decide whether you are ready. These considerations can be broken down into a few categories.
- Financial Changes: When adopting a dog from a shelter, it’s important to think about the financial responsibilities. Things like food, veterinary care, grooming, toys, accessories, and even pet insurance if you choose to get it, require you to change your budget. On average, a dog owner spends $1,500-$2,000/yr caring for their pup. Fostering a future service dog requires much less financial commitment due to the support you will receive from the organization.
- Changes to Your Space: Whether you choose to adopt a dog or foster a service dog puppy, you will be sharing your space with a new companion. You should prepare for regularly cleaning dog hair from surfaces and floors, finding the ideal space for the dog’s dishes and bed, and ensuring the puppy has plenty of yard space for house training and exercise beyond his walks.
- Dedication to Training and Socialization: All dogs require some training and socialization, but because service dog puppies’ duties will be so much greater, the commitment is significant. Prepare to spend time each day outdoors, in public, and working on training in short bursts.
- Time Commitment: Puppies require a great deal of your time to develop the proper social and behavioral skills through repeated training, to get the exercise they need, and to participate in veterinary and grooming visits.
Make an Impact as a Service Dog Puppy Raiser
Foster a Service Dog Through a Local Supportive Service Dog Organization
When you choose to foster a service dog through Putnam Service Dogs, you will have incredible support throughout each step of your journey. Our puppies are adopted directly from local shelters in an effort to dissuade unethical breeding practices and change the life of an unwanted dog.
We also provide major expenses like food, veterinary care, medications, accessories, and some toys, which reduces the burden on your wallet and allows you to focus your efforts on what matters most – creating a loving bond with a puppy who will change someone’s life for the better. You will also have regular meetings with our professional trainer and group sessions with other puppy raisers to help you on your way.
Learn more about becoming a service dog puppy raiser with Putnam Service Dogs today.
Nancy Teague, the founder of Putnam Service Dogs, is a dedicated advocate who embodies the mission of the organization every single day. Alongside the passionate individuals who have joined the cause, she works tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of both people and dogs. With an unwavering commitment to championing service dogs, Nancy understands the transformative power that occurs when a service dog is matched with its recipient, forging a remarkable team.