Before moving to Esplanade Azario two years ago, Bob and Ann Kasperski took the longest two-hour drive of their lives from their Fort Myers home to the Dogs Inc. campus in Palmetto.
“Ann told me this was the dumbest idea I’d ever had,” Bob said. “It was not a good drive.”
Ann was crying because they had to give up the first puppy they had raised for Dogs Inc.
Part of the reason they moved to Esplanade Azario was to be closer to the Dogs Inc. campus. Their work as puppy raisers — they have raised three more since that first one — also played a role in the lot they chose. The couple would’ve enjoyed overlooking the golf course, but fences aren’t allowed on those lots.
Dogs Inc., with the help of hundreds of volunteers and donors like the Kasperskis, trains career dogs that assist adults and children who are suffering from vision loss, grief, post-traumatic stress disorder and other disabilities.
While living in Fort Myers, the Kasperskis were only able to volunteer as puppy raisers. Now, living closer to the facility, they volunteer for the fitness program, work around the grounds, and fundraise, too.
Bob Kasperski is also a “canine concierge,” which is basically an assistant for the dogs. He logged over 500 hundred volunteer hours on campus in 2024, but raising puppies is an around-the-clock commitment for the couple.
In addition to caring for the puppy at home, puppy raisers also have to take the puppies to obedience classes a few times a month and regularly socialize them in public.
Bob Kasperski works one-on-one with Leia, the second puppy the Kasperskis raised for Dogs Inc. and also Kylo’s mom. Kylo is the puppy the Kasperskis are raising now.
Bob Kasperski had plans to take Kylo, the puppy they’re currently raising, to a baseball game over the weekend.
He said the couple never had kids, so the dogs are their family. Fittingly, the last dog they raised, Morgan, is heading off to “college” in the fall.
The experience of puppy raising came full circle when the Kasperskis met Morgan’s match, a high school senior with vision loss.
“The kid has plans for his future, and they’re going to be a great team,” Bob Kasperski said. “(Morgan) has grown into a full fledged guide dog who is going to change this gentleman’s life. He’s going to be in college. He’s going to be in a dorm room. He’s going to become a whole lot of things, and we were part of that.”
The young man told the Kasperskis that since he’s had Morgan, he hasn’t needed to use a cane for guidance. His father gave the Kasperskis a hug and anointed them family for the role they played in changing his son’s life.
Ann Kasperski will cry again when they have to give up Kylo, but it’s just one “tough day” in a series of “really, really good days.”
The Kasperskis always have loved animals. They raised dogs, cats, birds and horses, but both spent their careers in the construction industry.
Lydia Baxter, the media relations manager for Dogs Inc., said the Kasperskis are one of 20 puppy raisers who live in Lakewood Ranch.
The annual operating budget for the nonprofit is $21 million.
While the name is fairly new, Dogs Inc. has been around since 1982. It was known as Southeastern Guide Dogs until May 2024. The new name reflects the nonprofit’s expanded mission to serve individuals across the country with varying needs.
There are 250 puppies being bred and born as future helpers each year. Most are Labrador retrievers or goldadors, which are Labrador retrievers mixed with golden retrievers.
Baxter said about 70% of the puppies will become guide dogs, but some simply aren’t up to the responsibility. Instead, they often become public service dogs used for scent detection or facility therapy dogs that work at schools and hospitals.
It costs up to $60,000 to raise, train and care for each dog until it’s placed with a guardian.
For the career of the dog, all its food and medical expenses are covered, as well. If there are any behavioral issues, someone from Dogs Inc. will make a site visit to troubleshoot the issue.
The humans have to be trained, too. They stay on campus for two to three weeks to learn how to give cues to their new helpers.
A dog’s love is freely given, as are all Dogs Inc. services. Recipients pay nothing, and Dogs Inc. does not receive any government funding.
“We are not able to do all of this incredible work without individual donors and people like Bob and Ann who are raising these puppies,” Baxter said.
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