Volunteer Puppy Raiser /Vacation Relief Volunteer

Volunteers Sought to Raise Puppies as Service Dogs. Click here to read more »

Raising a Service Dog puppy is incredibly rewarding, but it’s also a LOT of work. Much more work than raising a pet puppy.

The first 6 months you have the puppy will be the most intensive work for you. Particularly demanding are the period from when you receive the puppy (probably 8-10 weeks old) through 14-16 weeks of age. Most of the connections in the puppy’s brain are created during this period, and a major portion of the puppy’s personality is formed by the experiences it’s exposed to. A Service Dog has to have as little fear as possible, and be as smart as possible. It also has to have the capacity to bond very closely to its recipient, so you will spend a lot of time nurturing and building your close, loving relationship with the puppy. We’ll help you create an incredible dog! Read our blog post about becoming a volunteer puppy raiser.

Thanks for your interest and support.

Please check this box if you are applying to be a vacation relief volunteer.

Name *:

Email & Phone *:

Street Address *:

Why would you like to raise a Putnam Service Dog puppy? *:

When would you be ready to begin raising a Putnam service Dog puppy? *:

Who lives in your household - names and ages of all people(including you)? *:

Who would be the primary puppy raiser? *:

Who will take responsibility for the puppy when the puppy raiser isn’t available? *:

Is anyone in your household allergic to dogs? *:

Is anyone in your household afraid of dogs? *:

How many hours will the puppy be left alone during the day? *:

What area of the house will the puppy be left when it’s alone? *:

Do you have other dogs in your home? If yes, we’d like to do an onsite visit of your home. *:

What breed/age/sex/spayed or neutered? :

How do your dogs react to other dogs? :

Have your dogs ever growled, snapped, resource guarded, cowered, or avoided people or other dogs? :

Any other pets besides your dogs? *:

If yes, what type? How old are they? :

How do they react to dogs? :

How many dogs have you owned, and what happened to them? *:

How much experience have you had with dogs regarding obedience training? What methods were you taught? *:

Are you willing and able to attend weekly hour long classes to train and socialize the puppy? They will be scheduled in a location, and at a time that maximizes the class's convenience. *:

Are you willing to attend fundraising events? *:

Are you willing to provide food, toys, bedding, leash, bowls and transport for the puppy at your expense? *:

Are you willing to adhere to our policies to keep our puppies healthy and safe at all times? This includes *:

1. Keeping the dog on a leash unless in a fully fenced in area.

2. Avoiding all dogs off leash and dog parks. Supervised play dates in a fenced area are great!

3. Providing adequate exercise. When the puppy is 6 months old, a mile+ walk every day will mean a happier, better behaved dog.

4. Not allowing the puppies on the furniture.

5. Teaching the puppies to sleep in the crate and stay in the crate when alone in the house.

6. Following our socialization and training guidelines to the best of your abilities

7. Your acknowledging and agreeing the dog belongs to Putnam Service Dogs, and is yours on loan to raise and prepare for its Formal Training as a Service Dog.

Your acknowledging and agreeing that Putnam Service Dogs retains the right to remove the dog from your household if the safety and well-being of the dog are at risk, or its training and socializing are not being adequately attended to.

If the puppy is released from our program before graduation, and you raised the puppy for at least 6 months, you’re eligible to receive the dog free, if desired. If you desire the released dog, and you raised it less than 6 months, you have first option to receive it, but must pay our adoption fee.

I agree to all of the above policies.

Please give us 2 references that will attest to your ability to fulfill the obligations and responsibilities of being a Putnam Service Dog Volunteer Puppy Raiser. :

Anything else you’d like us to know? :

Thank you for beginning your journey with Putnam Service Dogs. You’ve joined a great cause!