If for some reason, a seeing eye dog is removed from service, it is usually offered to the person who raised it as a puppy. If the puppy raiser does not want to adopt the dog, it becomes available to other families who may be looking for a trained companion. If the dog has the opportunity to work in law enforcement, these agencies are given priority in the adoption process. The dogs put up for adoption are usually between 1.5 and four years of age.  The youngest of these dogs have learned basic obedience and are house broken.  Dogs that are retired from their seeing eye job are also offered for adoption and are usually 7 years or older.

Some reasons why a seeing eye dog may be taken out of service include:

• Temperament problems including a lack of confidence when interacting with people or objects, dominance, or protective tendencies.
• Work-related problems such as fear of traffic, noise sensitivity, or distractibility.
• Medical problems such as chronic ear infections, allergies or inflammatory bowel disease.

The above information was obtained from The Seeing Eye Dog website.

Remember, your pets count!

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