PUPPY RAISING & SITTING

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

Puppy Raising: Puppy Raising is a long-term volunteer commitment, lasting a minimum of four months. No prior dog training experience is required. Summit staff carefully match each puppy or young dog with a puppy raiser whose lifestyle is the best fit. The dog lives full-time with their puppy raiser, who provides daily care and socialization. Puppy raisers regularly attend training classes, help track their dog’s training progress and create invaluable positive real-world experiences that are essential to the dog’s development and long-term success as a service dog.

Puppy Sitting: Puppy Sitting is a flexible, short-term volunteer role that provides essential support to our puppy raisers. Puppy sitters care for Summit dogs for brief periods when raisers are traveling or need a short break.

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. Complete a home visit with our Puppy Raising Program Coordinator.

  4. Attend in-person training classes and complete required 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, monthly parasite prevention, and some toys. Veterinary care expenses are covered, and puppy raisers and sitters may also request reimbursement for dog food. Extra toys and treats are the responsibility of the puppy raiser/sitter.

  • 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.