Retirement Policies

We make every effort to identify excellent candidates for the breeding colony. Unfortunately, in some cases dogs are found to be unsuitable as breeders for reasons that become evident only after breeding has been attempted. For example, a breeder may be infertile, a brood may have a difficult or unsuccessful whelping experience, the litter may not have the desired qualities, or medical issues with a genetic component may have shown up in the breed dog’s littermates.

When a dog must be released from the Breeding Program, both the sitter/foster and the puppy raiser can feel disappointed. Some of our released dogs go on to become guide dogs, dogs for special needs clients, or detection dogs.

If a released breeder is not used in one of the programs above, and is released within 12 months of the signing of the Sitter or Foster Agreement, the option to adopt is given to eligible puppy raisers, starting with the most recent raiser. If all eligible puppy raisers decline to adopt, the sitter/foster family, that has had the dog for up to 6 months and is approved by Guiding Eyes, will be given the option to adopt the dog at the current adoption fee. If the sitter/foster family has had the dog for 6-12 months, and is approved by Guiding Eyes, there will be no adoption fee.

If a released breeder is not used as a guide or detection dog, and eligible raisers or sitter/fosters decline to adopt, the dog will be placed through the Guiding Eyes Public Adoption Program.