Giving back to the community
Recuse work
Our love for dogs extends beyond training and care for owned pets. We are deeply committed to helping homeless dogs find their forever homes and providing a safe and nurturing environment for them until they do.
As a part of our holistic approach to animal welfare, our team members actively participate in fostering dogs. This not only gives these homeless animals a temporary home but also plays a crucial role in their rehabilitation and socialization.
Chrys volunteers with Agave dog rescue based out of Portland Oregon and Seattle gone dogs based out of Seattle Washington. By opening up our homes to these dogs, we are providing them with love, stability, and the opportunity to thrive before they find their permanent families.
Through these fostering efforts, we exemplify our commitment to making a tangible difference in the lives of dogs. Our compassion and dedication contribute significantly to the well-being of these animals, and we are proud to support their efforts and the organizations they work with.
Guide Dogs for the Blind
In the 1950s, Guide Dogs for the Blind's puppy raising program was offered as a 4-H project for rural youth living on farms. Through the 4-H program, youth raisers who lived close together belonged to a 4-H club, led by 4-H appointed adult volunteers. Eventually the program expanded into GDB's own regional puppy raising clubs, welcoming volunteers outside of the 4-H program, including adults. Those puppy raising clubs make up our traditional puppy raising model to this day.
As the demographic of volunteers continues to grow, GDB has moved beyond the club model in order to meet our volunteers where they are. Now offering alternative puppy raising models - such as the hybrid and satellite puppy raising programs - to accommodate a wider range of families and individuals dedicated to helping us raising the next generation of GDB puppies.
Which brings us to Jesslyn! Jesslyn is part of the first hybrid program in Portland, Oregon. She is nearly 7 months old and is Chrys’s first puppy for guide dog training. Jesslyn recently completed her first workshop with the other Portland hybrid puppies and will keep improving her skills daily, either on her own, with the Vancouver puppy raisers group, or at other hybrid gatherings until she is ready for Recall. A puppy raising field manager (PFM) determines when each dog is recalled to a GDB campus for breeding evaluation, guide dog training, or K9 Buddy evaluation based on a variety of factors including the dog’s temperament and behavior, the age of other dogs being recalled, transportation logistics, and more. Generally, this happens when the dog is between 13-18 months old and meets the recall ready measures covered in the guidebook.
Update, Jesslyn has left us for a short time and returned to stay for some extra time due to her having a small heart mummer. The onsite vet at GBD though it would be best to stay in her raisers home and postpone training.
Attentional update: Meet Wandella, are second GBD hybrid puppy. Even though they are both yellow labs, they are total opposites.
If you want more information about puppy raising please visit www.guidedogs.com
Meet Waylon
Waylon is hoping for an active, engaging owner who will help him grow into his best adult self. Waylon was rescued after being dumped with his four litter mates in an orchard in California. We have the video of their rescue if you'd like to see it and they are so happy to have been found by our rescue partners.
- Approximate date of birth: 4/2/25
- Weighs 32 pounds at 20 weeks old
- Possibly a Pit Bull/German shepherd mix (his litter mate's adopters had his brother DNA tested)
- Social, happy, and playful puppy who absolutely loves being around people and other dogs. Waylon really enjoys having dog friends and is always eager and ready to engage in playtime. Having an older confident dog in his future home who is both willing to play with him and able to gently correct him when needed would be incredibly beneficial for his growth and happiness. He needs a home with good structure and with dog experience.
- Good with cats and currently fostered with a cat
- He has not been around kids much but we imagine he would be excited to tag along with them.
- Has been excellent with his potty habits and no potty accidents in the home for the past few weeks in foster. As long as he is kept on a potty schedule routine and supervised as any young puppy should, his potty habits have been perfect.
- Crated trained at his current foster/trainers home for bed time, and rest breaks thought-out the day.
Since Waylon is currently being fostered here with us, and he is can be a very pushy bossy puppy, we have been doing a solid amount of foundational work such as:
Threshold respect- waiting to go through doorways and exiting his crate
Place- Settling on a mat/dog bed just to relax and
Loose leash walks- just basic lease skills and outdoor socializing
We are also offering continued training and support for Waylon at a discounted rate. Puppies need lots of training and having a built in coach to support you in new puppy ownership is so valuable.
Waylon is fully vaccinated, dewormer, microchipped, and current on flea/tick/heartworm prevention. His adoption fee includes his neuter surgery at our partner vet clinic in Milwaukie, Oregon between 6 months to 1 year of age. It also includes a free wellness exam at one of our partner veterinary clinics in Oregon City, Milwaukie, Portland, or Tualatin.
$150 adoption fee
Fostered in Vancouver, Washington
APPLY TO ADOPT WAYLON ON OUR WEBSITE: WWW.AGAVEDOGS.ORG
