Become a Puppy Sitter or Puppy Raiser
Our single biggest volunteer need is foster homes. Volunteer foster homes, including puppy sitters and puppy raisers, are the backbone of our organization, and we couldn’t do our work without them.
Puppy sitters assist with providing a solid foundation for our puppies and adolescents to grow into valuable, life-changing service dogs for people living with disabilities. Puppy sitters are there to care for our dogs in a variety of situations, including when a longer-term puppy raiser is on vacation, when the dogs are on a break from our prison training program, or when a dog could benefit from exposure to a new environment. If you have the time required to care for a dog, a strong interest in learning about positive reinforcement training, and a desire to help change a life, we welcome you to apply to become a puppy sitter.
As a puppy sitter, we need you to attend regular training classes, devote 15-20 minutes each day to training, and care for the dog’s routine needs, including feeding, grooming, exercise, and socialization. We will give you lots of support in return. While it isn’t easy bonding with a pup and then letting it go to continue along its important journey, most of our puppy sitters do it over and over again. They say that the reward of seeing a service dog transform someone’s life far outweighs the letting go.
To become a highly valued puppy sitter, please request an application form by emailing kat@summitdogs.org.
Upcoming Foster Home Orientations:
Visit our Events page to view upcoming volunteer orientation sessions to learn what it takes to become a puppy sitter for Summit Assistance Dogs. All orientations will be held remotely until further notice. To RSVP or for any questions, please contact kat@summitdogs.org.
Become a Kennel Assistant
Come help us care for dogs at our Whidbey Island campus, just north of Oak Harbor. We are occasionally in need of volunteers that can commit to a weekly schedule to help with general puppy care including tasks such as kennel cleaning, feeding, pottying, and exercising our young dogs in training. Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at info@summitdogs.org for a volunteer application or with questions.
Group Presentations and Volunteer Events
Summit participates in several workplace giving programs and can also provide customized presentations or volunteer events at your workplace or to service clubs and community groups in the Puget Sound region.
Contact us at info@summitdogs.org to inquire about presentations and volunteer opportunities for your group!
Other Volunteer Opportunities
We also have occasional needs for volunteers to help with fundraising activities, mailings, office support, work parties and other needs. If you would like to participate in some of these volunteer opportunities, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at info@summitdogs.org.