Volunteer
Discover numerous opportunities to make a meaningful impact on the lives of our service dogs in training.
So Many Ways To Get Involved
Volunteers are a huge part of our program at New Life K9’s. We have a team of around 15-20 volunteer puppy raisers that help socialize and train our dogs as they work their way to becoming a service dog. We have a few different types of volunteers that help with our dogs in different ways, each is described below. Each volunteer is responsible for the time and commitment needed to work with a service dog in training, and while it is a ton of fun bringing one of these puppies into your home, it can be a lot of work! New Life K9 trainers meet with each puppy raiser at least once a month in public, sometimes more often, to train in real life settings. Along with this, we also do group training at the New Life K9 facility once a month where all the puppy raisers come together to train as a
group and learn new things with their dogs.
At home, puppy raisers are expected to work with their dog, exposing them to new things and practicing their skills. Puppy raisers are expected to take their dogs on outings to prepare them for life as a service dog. This includes the grocery store, movie theater, restaurants and more, ensuring they can remain on their best behavior in any scenario. Service dogs are working dogs and therefore
differ from your everyday pet dog. This means they require a lot of time, patience and commitment from their trainers, which includes their puppy raiser! Our volunteers are a huge part of each dog's journey into becoming a service dog for a veteran or first responder!
Full-Time
Puppy Parents
Dogs Age 1.5 years until placement (~2 years)
As a full-time puppy parent, you will be assigned to one of our 8 week old puppies and help raise and train it for the first year of its life with the help and guidance of our service dog trainers. You will be responsible for early crate training, potty training and teaching basic skills following our puppy raiser curriculum.
You will be expected to take your dog on outings to generalize their training and prepare them for their future job as a service dog. Service dogs in training can go with you to the grocery store, movie theater, restaurants, work, school and many more. You are encouraged to take your dogs on outings to expose them to new (age appropriate) locations and practice good public
manners in all settings.
Expectations as a full time puppy parent:
- Ability to have a dog in your home full time
- Drop off dogs at New Life building for training as needed
- Attend monthly puppy raiser meetings
- Attend monthly outings/ group classes with New Life K9 trainers
- Follow all training guidelines directed to you by New Life K9 trainers
- Ability to spend time and effort working with and training a dog on a
consistent basis
- Practice and maintain good house manners
- Practice and maintain good manners when out in public.
- Ability to lift and carry 50 pounds
* Option to co-raise a puppy with another raiser if desired
Part-Time
Puppy Sitter
Dogs Vary Depending On Needs
As a puppy sitter, you would take home dogs on an as needed basis if the dog’s full time puppy parent goes out of town and/ or cannot watch their dog for a period of time. This role is on an as needed basis and is great for people who want to be involved but cannot fully commit to raising a dog full time, however we cannot guarantee how often you will be able to take home a dog.
Expectations:
- Attend monthly puppy raiser meetings
- Attend monthly group outings with New Life K9 trainers
- Pick up and drop off dog at designated location on an as needed basis
- Follow all training guidelines
- Able to lift and carry 50 pounds
Become A
Puppy Socializer
Dogs age 8 weeks to 4 months
As a puppy socializer, you will be responsible for taking in one of our new puppies as they join our program and begin their journey to becoming a service dog. This puppy would come into your home at 8 weeks old and would stay with you until they are around 4 months old and ready to begin their next training stage with our dog handlers at The California Men’s Colony.
As a puppy socializer, you will be expected to begin some basic training with our
puppies to set them up for success in our program.
At this age we will be focusing on:
- Potty training
- Crate training
- Good manners: not jumping on people, mouthing, barking, etc
- Basic behaviors such as sit, down and stay
- Positive and safe exposures to the world!
Expectations and Requirements:
- A private fenced in backyard *Note: Puppies cannot go out in public at this age and
must remain inside your home/ backyard or carried
- Ability to have a young puppy in your home full time for two months
- Ability to drop the puppy off for training at the New Life building several
days a week
- Attend monthly puppy raiser meetings
- Submit weekly puppy updates
- Follow crate training and potty training protocol
- Begin working on house manners and basic behaviors
- Take puppy to puppy preschool class (5 week class, 1 hour each week)
Be a Helper on Outings for Our Service Dogs in Training
We are seeking volunteers with extra time and a love for dogs to assist during training outings. No prior experience or special training is required—volunteers will simply help supervise and care for our service dogs in training while our New Life K9s trainers focus on working with other dogs on specific exposure tasks. Your support allows us to make the most of every outing and helps our dogs stay calm and engaged.
Office Support & Dog Care
We’re currently seeking dedicated volunteers to assist with light office cleaning and organization, helping us create a more efficient workspace so our trainers can dedicate more time to working with our service dogs in training. Volunteers may also help with letting dogs out for potty breaks and tidying up after them in the office. This behind-the-scenes support plays a vital role in our mission—and makes a real impact every day.
Thank You To Our
Family of Volunteers
