Possibility of volunteering as a Support Dog trainer

[Mr Allen]

Above.

Just had an email from Support Dogs UK based on a phone call I made yesterday.

I replied to the mail saying I could do Office based admin for them or even actually foster a Puppy.

Anyone think I could go ahead?

 

[Mattymatt]

Above.

Just had an email from Support Dogs UK based on a phone call I made yesterday.

I replied to the mail saying I could do Office based admin for them or even actually foster a Puppy.

Anyone think I could go ahead?

If you feel like you can care for the dog adequately, then go for it! I generally don't like dogs because they tend to be fairly high maintenance, make noise, and jump all over things. I am really a cat person!

 

[Fitzo]

Are you a dog lover and experienced with caring for them? If not I wouldn't recommended fostering a puppy.

 

[Butterfly88]

I agree with Fitzo, if you love dogs and know what you are doing great. If you love dogs but don't know what you are doing learn first.

 

[Mary Anne]

Puppies take looking after 24/7. Do you have patience? Do you have long time experience with not only dogs, but puppies? Puppies pretty much need care 24/7. They need housebreaking...are you up for walking the pup many many times a day, even all hours of night? Or clean up their messes?

Support dogs need even more care and training then regular dogs. Their training starts from day one of their life.

I would think the organization carefully screens who they give out puppies too. As I am aware of the training that support dogs go through, I am pretty sure, they will not give anyone a puppy to foster, that does not have extensive training in support dog training.

Administrative sounds much more in line with your skill sets.

 

[Tom]

Volunteering for that program sounds like a good idea, but as others have mentioned use caution when choosing which specific job. Maybe do visits and see what the work entails. Fostering is probably the most difficult. Puppys are little balls of absolute madness! Every time we (well mostly me) raise a puppy I think 'What did I do?!' Life is basically wrecked for a month. But then things start to improve. You end up loving them to death. It would be hard then to give them up, but you wouldn't even have a choice like most fosters of keeping the dog.

 

[Judge]

It would be hard then to give them up, but you wouldn't even have a choice like most fosters of keeping the dog.

That would be my greatest concern. I love dogs...couldn't imagine parting with them after caring for them.

But then there's one other major detail to such an equation. To check and make sure having a pet is in line with one's rental agreement. I know that having a pet without notifying my particular landlord and paying an expensive deposit, they would evict me post haste.

 

[Mr Allen]

I might ring up tomorrow about the Office based admin role rather than the actual looking after a dog bit.

I've enough to do to look after myself much less a Pooch.

 

[Mr Allen]

I'm waiting for a phone call on the Landline tomorrow after 12 PM (7 AM Eastern) to discuss the role.

 

[Gracey]

Above.

Just had an email from Support Dogs UK based on a phone call I made yesterday.

I replied to the mail saying I could do Office based admin for them or even actually foster a Puppy.

Anyone think I could go ahead?

Rich, fostering needs an ongoing level of commitment.
I haven’t checked on the support dogs website but sometimes fostering potential working dogs requires socialisation.

Full on, committed, walking for miles in a calm state letting the dog experience the hustle and bustle of everyday, outdoor life.
(This eventually helps to have a calm, relaxed adult dog. What is sometimes known as ‘bomb-proof’)

If you get it wrong you can sometimes teach a dog to fear. You may have to be able to read a dog?
(If indeed this will be expected as a fosterer)

Then there’s the toileting.
Teaching puppies where to piddle and poop can be done in about four weeks or could take up to six months.
This has to be consistent routines. Every day til you’ve both cracked it.

There’s the chewing phases, the whining, the boredom, the loneliness, the high spirited exuberance, getting the puppy to a vet for routine visits and especially in emergencies where time may be of real importance.

Don’t get me wrong Rich, I’m not suggesting for one minute you can’t do any of the above, I just wanted to give you the ‘non-fluffy’ heads up on sharing your home and life with a puppy.

Stick to the admin mate, it won’t crap on your carpets

 

[Mr Allen]

Rich, fostering needs an ongoing level of commitment.
I haven’t checked on the support dogs website but sometimes fostering potential working dogs requires socialisation.

Full on, committed, walking for miles in a calm state letting the dog experience the hustle and bustle of everyday, outdoor life.
(This eventually helps to have a calm, relaxed adult dog. What is sometimes known as ‘bomb-proof’)

If you get it wrong you can sometimes teach a dog to fear. You may have to be able to read a dog?
(If indeed this will be expected as a fosterer)

Then there’s the toileting.
Teaching puppies where to piddle and poop can be done in about four weeks or could take up to six months.
This has to be consistent routines. Every day til you’ve both cracked it.

There’s the chewing phases, the whining, the boredom, the loneliness, the high spirited exuberance, getting the puppy to a vet for routine visits and especially in emergencies where time may be of real importance.

Don’t get me wrong Rich, I’m not suggesting for one minute you can’t do any of the above, I just wanted to give you the ‘non-fluffy’ heads up on sharing your home and life with a puppy.

Stick to the admin mate, it won’t crap on your carpets

I'm not doing it, I spoke to my key worker from the Housing yesterday, I can't have the Dog living here with me, even though it wouldn't be a Pet it'd be a Dog in training the "No Pets" rule still applies because I don't have access to the Communal Garden.

As for the admin role, they sent me an email yesterday, they don't have anyone available to train me for their admin roles.