Although donated German Shepherd Dogs, Doberman Pinschers and Golden Retrievers are always welcome, Gallant Hearts endeavors to maintain a breeding program for healthy German Shepherd Dogs and Doberman Pinschers. A guide dog program is no better than the dogs selected to raise and train, thus health, temperament and trainability are important factors that Gallant Hearts considers when selecting breeding stock. Pedigrees are researched carefully for health and temperament, and health testing is a critical part of the selection.

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All dogs, whether breeding stock, donated dogs or home bred dogs are tested for diseases and conditions indigenous to that breed.

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It is the goal at Gallant Hearts to build a strong guide dog program through carefully selected breeding stock and proper management of the program. This comes from educating staff about the health conditions, temperaments and characteristics of each breed selected to be a Gallant Hearts guide dog.

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