Could you care for puppies?
ASSISTANCE DOGS CHARITY HAS URGENT NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS
VOLUNTEER puppy socialisers are wanted by a canine support charity.
Dogs for Good’s volunteers help in its work to provide highly trained assistance dogs.
The charity said the pandemic has had a big impact on recruiting volunteers and it is now urgently seeking to increase the number of people in this role.
It needs volunteers to love, care for, nurture and socialise puppies from the age of eight weeks for about 12 to 18 months, when they can go on to be trained.
The charity is holding an information session for people who want to know more on April 27 at 9am.
Chris Muldoon, operations manager at Dogs for Good, said: “The last two years have had a real impact on our ability to recruit new socialisers. The demand for our services is incredibly high, but in order for us to support more people, we need to start with supporting our pups through the first year of their lives.
“That support starts with finding people who have the time to care and guide our pups before they start their formal training.
“Puppies are curious, mischievous and sentient beings that need lots of guidance and care, so the role of a socialiser is hugely important.
“There’s lots of support from our puppy team who help volunteers to provide the essential foundations for getting a pup used to the big, wide world so that they grow into a confident and polite dog.
“It’s a demanding role but there are huge amounts of joy, fun involved as well as real sense of fulfilment.”
Vikki Meakins, from Thurlaston, has an eight-month-old black cocker spaniel, Rosa, as well as a 12-yearold pet yellow labrador called Katie.
Vikki said: “I love what I call the lightbulb stage, when the puppy goes from not understanding what you want them to do to being able to do things. You get lots of that in the first year.
“When the puppy arrives it might not even know its name, but they learn so quickly and it’s amazing to watch them grow and develop.
“It’s so lovely to hear how the puppy you socialised is helping someone. It makes all the time and effort we put into these puppies completely and utterly worth it.
“It always makes me smile that these dogs go on to transform people’s lives, it’s absolutely amazing.”
Chris said: “Often people discount this role because they feel that they couldn’t give the puppy back once their job is done.
“But our socialisers who have done this many times say while it’s never something they look forward to, they also experience immense pride when they see how the part they have played in that puppy’s life has made a life-changing difference to someone with a disability.”
Most expenses are covered by the charity including food, health insurance and vet bills.
Socialisers must meet conditions, including having a secure garden and not being away from the puppy for over four hours.