Part One: How I Found My 2nd SDog, Willie (or "It Never Hurts To Ask")

About 7 years ago, I knew that my first Service Dog JoJo was going to be retiring in about 2 years. Since it takes 2 years to train a puppy to be a Service Dog, I needed to find my next dog. But I was wary about using organizations. They have very long waiting lists, charge fees, and some don't allow the handler to have other dogs in the house. There was NO WAY I was giving JoJo up when she retired.

So, I decided to look for lab breeders near the Austin TX area and just simply ask the question: could they donate me a puppy?

It couldn't hurt to ask, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.


The following is a reprint of the very first email I sent out. It was also the last email I had to send because this email was sent to Willie's breeder. I will post her response soon. Enjoy.

Link to Part Two

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 I saw your website and wanted to ask you a question about your organization. I noticed that you have a "Police Donation Program". Have you ever donated one of your pups for use as a Service/Assistance Dog for a disabled person? If not, would you ever consider it?

I am the proud owner of a Wheelchair Service Dog named JoJo. She's a retriever-mix (Lab and Golden), she's black and 6 1/2 years old. She was my dog before I became disabled and was trained for me by a private trainer in Vermont. Since the hubby and I had already obedience trained her, the Service Dog training took about one year. She's a great learner and is always willing to please!

Unfortunately, as is the case with Wheelchair Service Dogs, they usually only work until the age of 8. So, I will be needing to retire her in less than 2 years and am now beginning the process of finding my next dog.

There are plenty of Service Dog organizations out there but most have non-refundable fees, 2-5 year waiting lists, and don't always allow you to choose the breed of dog you want. Some organizations also don't place dogs in homes with other dogs. When JoJo retires I plan on keeping her so this is an important issue with me.

I'm going to apply to a few organizations but I'm also trying the other route of getting my own dog and having it trained specifically for me. I know I can purchase a Lab but I run the risk of getting a puppy that's temperament is not appropriate for the work it will be performing, or one that develops bad hips. Also, I'll have to spend the money on the training of the dog.

A Service Dog needs to be unafraid of many things that it will be exposed to (ie. airplane rides, elevators, balloons popping, children crying, and other strange noises). Because I also require a dog to pull my wheelchair using a harness, it also needs to be in top-top physical shape (ie. passing OFA and/or Penn Hip testing). Since some of these medical and temperament tests would not show apppropriate results for some months into the pup's life, I run the risk of purchasing a puppy and having it not be able to be a candidate for Service Dog training.

So, my question to you: Would you be interested in meeting or talking with me about the possibility of donating one of your puppys to me? And, to carry it a step further, would you be interested in keeping the puppy thru the age of either OFA or Penn Hip age (6-12 months? I'm not sure...).

If you were to donate a dog to me I would be ameniable to reimbursing you for vet/food expenses you may incurr during the time you keep the dog. These are details we could work out later.

Pls. contact me via email. If you feel you can't do this, pls. let me know of any other breeders you know of that may be interested.

Thank you!

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