Putnam Service Dogs Recruiting Volunteer Puppy Raisers for February 2019 Class
Schedule of FREE INFORMATIONAL LUNCHES:
Saturday, Jan 12, 12-1, Putnam Diner, 2600 NY-22, Patterson, NY
Sunday, Jan 13, 12-1, Panera Bread, 6 Triangle Crt., Yorktown Heights, NY Saturday, Jan 19th, 12-1, Mill Plain Diner, 14 Mill Plain Rd., Danbury, Ct. Sunday, Jan 20th, 12-1, 7 Stars Diner, 1577 NY-22, Brewster, NY
No reservation required. Please be prompt. Thanks.
IF YOU’RE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND A LUNCHEON (preferred) PLEASE COMPLETE THIS APPLICATION by Jan 22, 2019
Here’s more information from a blog article on the Putnam Service Dogs’ website.
Putnam Service Dogs is hosting 4 free, informational lunches at area diners to recruit Volunteer Puppy Raisers. Once the February class is assembled, Putnam Service Dogs will adopt carefully chosen mixed breed puppies from Rescue Organizations. They look for pups that will grow into dogs that are 45-65 lbs, are people oriented, friendly, confident, comfortable, easy to train, and not aggressive (at all!!!!). The deadline to apply for this class as a puppy raiser is January 22, 2019.
Being a Service Dog is extremely difficult, and most dogs don’t have the temperament or desire to be one. The success rate is less than 1⁄3 of all carefully selected pups. If your pup is released, at Putnam Service Dogs’ discretion, you can adopt it. Being a volunteer puppy raiser is a win/win opportunity - either you’ll be changing someone’s life who receives your pup as their Service Dog, or you may end up living happily ever after with your really well trained pup!
Why are Volunteer Puppy Raisers so essential? A kennel situation won’t produce a service dog; they need loving, nurturing homes to launch them. Service dogs need to love and trust humans more deeply than pet dogs do. Raisers are asked to love their pup (a lot), exercise and care for it, socialize it, and train it in obedience and beginning service dog skills.
Raisers will be guided by a Puppy Raiser Manual, weekly classes the first 6 months, and Putnam Service Dogs’ Trainer. Private sessions, as needed, will supplement the classes. After 6 months, class reverts to once a month, with a private session, also once a month until the pup is 16-18 months old.
The pups, if still in the program, will begin Formal Training, depending on their maturity level, between 16-18 months of age. They are taught by Putnam Service Dog(PSD) trainers to perform the specific tasks their matched recipient needs them to do.
Because PSD doesn’t have our Center yet, raisers are asked, if possible, to continue fostering the pups while they’re in the Formal Training period. Pups will be about 2 years old when they are placed with their recipient. A raiser could live with a pup for 20 months or so. Because of health issues, and life changes, many raisers don’t complete this whole period.
Putnam Service Dogs is a 501(c)3 nonprofit NY State nonprofit corporation.
Mission Statement:
Our service dogs change the lives of our recipients and their families, adding love, joy, independence, and ease. We honor and promote the nurturing bond between humans and dogs.
We provide free service dogs to people with physical disabilities other than blindness.
For more information email info@putnamservicedogs.org, or 917-449-5359. THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST!