VOLUNTEER

Puppy Raising & Puppy Sitting

Our diverse community of volunteer puppy raisers and sitters is crucial to our mission. Their contributions of time and care make our mission possible—they truly change lives! By opening their homes and hearts to our growing dogs, puppy raisers and sitters provide the solid foundation for our puppies and adolescent dogs to grow into valuable, life-changing service dogs for people living with disabilities.

Puppy Raising: Puppy Raising is a long-term commitment, lasting at least four months. Summit staff carefully match a puppy or young dog who best fits a puppy raiser’s lifestyle, and that puppy lives with their puppy raiser full-time. Puppy raisers regularly attend training classes and help track their dogs training process. They create invaluable positive experiences for Summit dogs in real-world settings.

Puppy Sitting: Puppy Sitting is a flexible, shorter-term, volunteer role. Our puppy sitters watch our growing dogs for short periods, providing vital support to our puppy raisers when they travel or need to take shorter breaks from raising. Puppy sitters are particularly valuable during busy travel seasons, and when dogs being trained at our prison program at Monroe Correctional Complex take quarterly breaks from the prison environment.

What are the steps to becoming a puppy raiser or sitter?

  1. Contact volunteer@summitdogs.org to receive an application.

  2. Attend an online orientation with our Puppy Raising Program Coordinator.

  3. Have a home visit with our Puppy Raising Program Coordinator.

  4. Attend in person training classes and complete online education materials.

Puppy Raising & Sitting FAQ

  • No, you do not need any prior experience with dog training to raise or sit a puppy. However, you DO need to have a high level of enthusiasm and commitment to learning about positive reinforcement training. Both puppy raisers and sitters receive training and behavior education to help the puppies they care for blossom.

  • Absolutely! Summit provides lots of support to our raisers and sitters through our trainers, our Puppy Raising Program Coordinator, dedicated Facebook page, and secure foster home website.

  • Summit provides the basic supplies to help a puppy raiser or sitter be successful. This includes leashes, harnesses, crates, gates, and toys. Additional supplies may be at a raiser's or sitter’s expense. We also ask our puppy raisers to cover the cost of their dog’s high-quality food. Veterinary treatments are covered by or reimbursed through Summit.

  • Our puppy raisers and sitters live in a variety of communities and settings, which helps us train well-rounded dogs. A fully fenced yard is not required for puppy raising or sitting, although it can make the process easier. However, all puppy raisers and sitters must have reliable access to a safe enclosed area to exercise their dog. Summit dogs are never allowed to visit dog parks.

  • Being socialized with children is beneficial to the dogs in training. Every child and their comfort level with dogs is unique, so we place our dogs in homes with very small children on a case-by-case basis. If you have very young children (under 5 years old), it may be better to wait to puppy raise or sit until they are a bit older. We encourage older children with an interest in helping to attend orientation and classes with you. The parent/guardian in the household will remain the primary party responsible for the dog’s health, safety, and training.

  • Our community of volunteer puppy raisers and sitters is filled with enthusiastic dog lovers, and many have dogs of their own! You can still be a puppy raiser or sitter for Summit if you have dogs of your own, so long as the pet dog is healthy and there are no safety or behavioral concerns. A Summit staff member will need to meet your dog and may facilitate initial interactions with any Summit dogs you care for to ensure both dogs are happy and safe. Summit dogs and pet dogs may coexist in the home through proper home management, including the use of crates, ex-pens, baby gates, or rotations in the yard.

  • If you have concerns about the requirements of puppy raising or sitting, please reach out to us to see if there are other ways you can help. We often have a need for volunteers in other areas including: Transportation, puppy socialization, kennel assistance, photography/videography, sewing, outreach, and fundraising.