Become a Foster Parent
Help Raise a Life-Changing Partner
Foster parents are the heart of our Service dog program. By opening your home to a future Service dog, you’re helping shape the kind, confident companion that will one day be relied on to transform individual’s lives by improving their accessibility and providing unconditional support.
What Does a Foster Parent Do?
As a foster, you’ll care for one of our Golden Retriever puppies during a critical stage of their development — typically from 8 weeks to 12 months old.
Your role includes:
Providing a safe, loving home environment
Attending scheduled training sessions in-person
Reinforcing basic obedience and and socialization in accordance
to our training protocols
Participating in social access work by exposing the pup to real-world environments (public transit, community spaces, stores, restaurants, etc.)
Offering regular updates to our training team
Maintain a training log to track progress
You don’t need to be a dog expert – you just need to be teachable. If you have patience, time, love and an open-mind, we will support you.
What We Provide
Training (mandatory weekly
in-person classes)
Ongoing support and open communication for any questions you may have
Vet care, food and supplies
Why It Matters
Every time we find a foster family willing to give a piece of their heart to raise a Service dog puppy candidate, that foster family gives hope to an individual who is waiting to have a Service dog change their life. Each foster family plays a direct role in transforming a playful puppy into a calm, focused Service dog candidate. Service dog candidates need to begin their social access work very early. As soon as they are toilet trained, foster families need to take them out into the public world. They need to be exposed to public transit. They need to travel well in the car, getting in and out independently as soon as they are physically able. They need to go to public places like malls, restaurants, stores, offices, etc. They need experience with crowds, noisy environments, traffic and any other real-world situations that a working dog may encounter with their future person. They need to have good manners around the house and learn basic obedience. None of this is possible without the love and support of a dedicated foster family.
“Saying goodbye is hard… but knowing they’re about to change someone’s life makes it worth it.”
Ready to Foster?
Fill out our Foster Parent Application Form to get started.