A unique experience

Samuel et Jessica avec Orly et Jetblu

The mission of a foster family is to socialize our puppies to prepare them for guide and service dog training. Socializing a puppy means teaching it good behaviour at home, as well as exposing it to various environments on a regular basis, mainly urban and social environments, since the guide and service dogs will work in these environments in the future.

The foster family takes care of the 8 week old puppy until she reaches about one year old. Thereafter, the puppy will return to the Foundation.

The foster family must learn the basics of daily life with a puppy, such housebreaking it, teaching it to respond to its name and several other basic commands (sit, down, come, etc.) The foster family must also teach the puppy to chew on its toys (instead of shoes), lie on the floor (not on a bed or couch) and to eat dog food (not table scraps), etc.

The puppy must accompany the family in public places and urban environments. The puppy will thus become familiar with these situations and feel comfortable, which is essential. He will learn to adapt to different situations and behave. In other words, the puppy must become a pleasant companion. Good health, socialization and natural aptitude are the essentials for puppies to qualify for guide or service dog training.

Requirements

• Socialize the puppy by exposing it to various environments.

• Inform the MIRA Foundation of the puppy’s evolution (health and behaviour).

• Take note of any abnormal behaviour and inform the Foundation immediately (fear, aggressiveness, running away).

• Take part in meetings at the MIRA Foundation, during which foster families exchange experiences and allow us to evaluate the puppies’ development.

• Follow the MIRA Foundation’s recommendations and feel free to consult with us.

• Inform the Foundation, in writing, of any change of address or phone number.

• The foster family recognizes that the puppy in their care is the sole property of the MIRA Foundation. The Foundation reserves the right to withdraw a puppy from its foster home if its development is unsatisfactory and if its safety is compromised.

• The MIRA Foundation also reserves the right to reclaim a puppy at all times for its rearing or service programs.

The foster family should not

• Leave the puppy alone more than four hours per day. The MIRA Foundation is not responsible for material damages incurred by a puppy.

• Keep the puppy apart from the rest of the family (tied up in the house or outside, in a garden shed, a garage or a closed room in the house).

• Allow the puppy to lie on a couch or bed.

• Feed the puppy table scraps.

• Take any type of dog training course.

• Use the puppy for reproduction purposes.

• Be abusive with the puppy (physical violence, excessive domination, etc.).

• Compromise the puppy’s safety (ex. leaving it in the car in warm weather or without surveillance in a public place or free in a unfenced areas, etc.).

Costs to be covered by the foster family

• Dog tag when required by your city or municipality (ask if they may abolish the fee for MIRA puppies in foster homes).

• All expenses incurred during trips to and from the MIRA Foundation.

• Toys for the puppy.

Services provided by the Mira Foundation

• Dog food.

• Veterinary care.

• A collar, a leash and a scarf, as well as a letter identifying the puppy as belonging to MIRA in order to facilitate access to public places.

• Advice and assistance related to the development and socialization of the puppy.

• Unique, proven expertise and advice from qualified personnel.

• The chance to improve your understanding of dogs.

• Most of all, the chance to be an active participant in the accomplishment of the MIRA Foundation’s mission: improving the lives of blind and physically impaired people.

Following is a brief description of the programs for which the MIRA Foundation’s dogs are intended. Each dog remains the property of MIRA.

Guide-dog: These dogs guide visually impaired youths or adults that may also have another type of impairment (such as deafness) - service is available in all the countries where the MIRA Foundation is established.

Service dog: Service dogs assist physically impaired people in order to overcome certain incapacities. These dogs may also work with a specially trained individual to use the dogs for impaired people (special projects).

Promotional dog: Promotional dogs are used during fundraising events for the benefit of the MIRA Foundation. People who are entrusted with these dogs are deemed important in raising funds for the Mira Foundation.

Breeding dogs: specially selected dogs perpetuate and improve all the MIRA Foundation’s dogs. Males selected for reproduction must stay at ou Breeding Centre at all times. Females selected for reproduction may stay in a foster home, provided the family accepts the conditions set out by the MIRA Foundation.

Non selected dogs

Our goal is to provide dogs for handicapped people, in order to improve their autonomy and their quality of life. For the same reason, foster families agree to give of their time and devotion. It is not because the disqualified dog is offered to the foster family first that the time given by that family to bring up the puppy is not appreciated. On the contrary Mira Foundation is a non-profit organization and foster families are volunteers, that’s why the dogs are offered to them first, under goods conditions.

A dog will be disqualified for the following reasons:

• Health problems (immunodeficiency, epilepsy, dysplagia severe to moderate)

• Behavior problems (extreme fear, aggressiveness, etc.)

To establish the value of a dog, Mira Foundation takes under consideration the buying price of a puppy at the breeder and all the expenses incurred during the first year of its life:

• The sale price of a quality puppy is between $ 800 and $ 1 200.

• The expenses including food and health care, such as: vaccines, radiography, sterilization as well as ear infection treatment and heartworm disease, are estimated at a minimum of $ 1 200.

Mira Foundation assumes the initial cost of the puppy. If a foster family wants to keep the dog, it can, by covering the maintenance expenses of $ 1 200 or it is asked to volunteer for 30 hours, spread over a certain period of time + $ 600.

N.B.: If a dog has been assessed and found unsuitable to take on the demanding role of a guide or service dog, the purchase price will be determined by the training received. At this point, it will be a monetary payment only.

Foster family application

If you meet these criterias and are interested in becoming a foster family, we invite you to fill this Application form and send it back to us either by fax (450) 795-3789 or by email at jviens@mira.ca.

Upon reception of your application, you will be asked to attend a meeting at the Mira Foundation. The purpose of this meeting is to complete and clarify the information you received and also to answer all questions you might have.

The staff responsible for the Foster family program is available to answer your questions.

Thank you in advance !