Sponsor a Puppy - FAQs

It can take from 18 – 24 months for a puppy to complete its training and become a fully qualified Medical Alert Assistance Dog. Sometimes it can take a little less or even a bit longer, depending on the individual dog.  In the final ‘pupdate’, we will introduce you to another puppy and give you the option to continue following their journey.

Am I the only person sponsoring the puppy?

It costs around £29,000 to train a Medical Alert Assistance Dog. This covers the first two years – from birth to accreditation. After that, it costs £1,000 per year to support the working partnership. We wouldn’t expect you to fund the total cost by yourself so by sponsoring a puppy each month it gives you and other people the opportunity to fund a puppy’s training as well as further areas of our vital work. It’s a bit like the puppy having an extended family.

Will my money go to the puppy I sponsored?

Your donations will help support their care and training and will also be used by Medical Detection Dogs wherever the need is greatest.  Your donation will make a huge difference and is very gratefully received. We are entirely reliant on donations from the public to continue our life-changing work.

Can I meet my sponsored puppy?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to meet your puppy.  It is very important the puppies concentrate fully on their training with minimal distractions. However, you’ll receive regular ‘pupdates’ which will give you a fantastic insight into how your puppy is growing and all the different things they are getting up to.

Do all puppies complete their training?

It takes a very special dog to learn all the skills required to be an assistance dog, and we hope your puppy will make it through training. Naturally, some dogs don’t meet our high standards and we withdraw them from training. We take these decisions very seriously as we must keep the welfare and safety of our clients and the dogs we train at the heart of everything we do.  If your puppy is unable to complete its training, it will be rehomed with a loving family and we will write to you to let you know.