Lucky Dog is a proud supporter of service dog programs. From therapy dogs that provide local community service with their owners to dogs that are raised by foster families and trained to provide mobility or medical (blindness, seizures, diabetes or autism) assistance, Lucky Dog is dedicated to supporting and promoting the training that goes into these dogs.

Linda Wiedewitsch is currently raising her ninth service dog for Leader Dogs for the Blind of Rochester, Michigan. Her daughter Laura became involved with Leader Dogs after meeting Gerald Johnson, a local blind person who used a guide dog. Laura decided that she wanted to raise a puppy for Leader Dogs as a 4-H project. Since that first dog, Linda and her family have continued to raise puppies for Leader Dogs.

In April 2007, Linda was contacted by Hearing & Service Dogs of Minnesota about becoming a field trainer for their organization. As a field trainer, her first assignment was to work with a local 4-H graduate who was receiving a dog for seizure assistance. Since then Linda has gone on to foster puppies, evaluate pound animals and litters of puppies for entry into HSDM programs, and organize a training group for service dogs.

Lucky Dog has also been actively recruiting foster families to be puppy raisers for Hearing and Service Dog’s programs. There are now five puppies being raised in the local area. Luanne Thorsvig, Lucky Dog’s receptionist, is fostering Ripley, a golden retriever. Mary and Linda have each served as short term foster homes for puppies in transition. Additional long term raisers include Abby with Radar, Janie with Guido, Jenny with Vern and Margaret with Maya. The group meets for training once a month working on leash manners, obedience, socialization, task specific training and public access. Field trips have included restaurants, the fire hall, a sixth grade picnic and an airplane ride. If you would be interested in short or long term puppy fostering, please contact Lucky Dog for additional information.

Both Leader Dogs and HSDM are sponsored in part by Lions Clubs and also by private donations. Puppy raisers are responsible for the food and medical expenses of the puppies they raise. Raisers are at liberty to fund-raise to help defray their expenses. Our puppy raisers are available to give presentations regarding the programs. If your organization would be interested in helping to sponsor a puppy and/or having a puppy raiser speaks to your group, Lucky Dog would be happy to make those arrangements.