Charity urgently looking for Doncaster people to take care of puppies

Charity Support Dogs is urgently looking for people in Doncaster and South Yorkshire to take care of puppies who are training to become assistance dogs.

The charity, whose national training centre is in Sheffield, is looking for loving homes for up puppies for up to 15 months before they embark on their full-time training to become assistance dogs.

‘Puppy socialisers’ will be expected to be at home for most of the day to dedicate their time to training and raising a puppy, and attend regular group obedience classes to further their training. They must also live within an hour’s drive of Sheffield.

“Just loving cute puppies is not enough – potential puppy socialisers will have to be prepared to put in some hard work, cope with typical puppy behaviour and are committed to meeting the puppy’s physical and mental needs,” said Support Dogs’ chief executive Rita Howson.

“But they will have the enormous satisfaction of knowing they are helping us train more much-needed assistance dogs for people with autism, epilepsy and physical disability.”

In the past Support Dogs has recruited prospective assistance dogs between the ages of 10 and 18 months from a variety of sources including Guide Dogs, rescue centres, council dog pound, and unwanted pets.

By taking on puppies from the age of eight weeks the charity is hoping to addressing the rising demand for highly trained assistance dogs from the public and boost the number of dogs it trains every year. For every dog it trains the charity receives over 50 requests for help.

Support Dogs also needs foster carers to provide a loving home for its dogs in training, as none of its trainee pooches ever spends a night in kennels.

If you’re interested in becoming a puppy socialiser find out more on https://www.supportdogs.org.uk/puppy-socialiser ring 0114 2617800 or email [email protected]