Change a life, forever. Sponsor a puppy.

Frequently asked questions

• How does a My Amazing Puppy sponsorship work?

  You'll receive an introductory pack with regular updates (Pupdates), via email or post, about your sponsored puppy's progress.

  At around 14-16 months, your puppy will move on to advanced training, where they'll say goodbye as they prepare to become an assistance dog.

  But the journey doesn’t end there! We'll introduce you to a brand new puppy recruit to sponsor on their amazing journey.

• How long does a My Amazing Puppy sponsorship last?

  We'll send you an introduction pack when you first join, which will include a cute dog toy, a certificate and a gorgeous photograph of your chosen puppy. We'll then send you further 'Pupdates' throughout the year to let you know how your chosen puppy is progressing with their vital first training steps. Once your chosen puppy has moved on to start advanced training your sponsorship will automatically transfer to one of our newest puppy recruits.

• How often will I receive Pupdates?

  You will receive your first pupdate a few months after you join the programme. You will then receive your other pupdates every four months.

• What happens after 12 months?

  After 12 months your puppy will move on into advanced training. At this point, we'll introduce you to a new puppy you can sponsor! Advanced training lasts about 3 months. Here, these incredible dogs build on the skills they learned with their volunteer puppy parent to enable them to transform the life of someone with a disability.

• Can I sponsor more than one Canine Partners puppy?

  Absolutely! We will always have two puppies for you to sponsor, and these will change on a four monthly basis, so you will be able to sponsor as many Canine Partners puppies as you like!

• Do you always use Labrador puppies for canine partners?

  The most widely used breeds for a canine partner are Labradors, Golden Retrievers or Labrador/Retriever crosses. We do have some Poodle crosses to support those partnerships that may suffer from allergies.

• How is my money used?

  Your generous donation(s) will go towards funding the training of a Canine Partners puppy. This money will help towards covering the cost of puppy food, training, and veterinary bills.

• Can I Gift Aid my membership?

  If you're a UK taxpayer, all you need to do is complete the Gift Aid section when you sign up for the sponsorship. We can then claim Gift Aid on all donations you have made in the last four calendar years until further notice. To qualify for Gift Aid, you must pay the amount of UK Income and/or Capital Gains Tax equal to the amount we reclaim on your donations in that tax year. Please notify us if your tax circumstances change.

• Are these real Canine Partner puppies in training?

  These are all real Canine Partner dogs (names changed to protect privacy), but our sponsorship program works a bit differently because of their training. Instead of updates on puppies still in training, we feature those who've already graduated as amazing assistance dogs. This avoids disappointment if a puppy doesn't become fully qualified, and keeps things running smoothly for us. But rest assured, your donations directly support the care and training of all our amazing puppies that our Puppy Parent volunteers are working with right now.

• Am I the only person sponsoring this Canine Partners puppy?

  It costs £16,500 to put a future working canine partner puppy through its puppy training, so the idea of our My Amazing Puppy scheme is to give you and others like you the opportunity to help co-fund the training of one of our amazing puppies.

• Will I be able to meet my puppy?

  While we understand how exciting it would be to meet your sponsored puppy, unfortunately this isn't something we're able to offer. That's because the My Amazing Puppy sponsored dogs have already finished their training and are now busy supporting people with disabilities. Bringing them back for meet-and-greets could risk disrupting their work and their important bond with their partners.

  You are also more than welcome to join us at one of our open days where you'll be able to watch a real-life demonstration of how we train our dogs and the life-changing tasks they can offer people living with disabilities. Please get in touch if you’d like to join us.