PUPPY RAISING PROGRAM
Project2Heal’s mission is to help reduce the time it takes to get a service dog into the hands of someone in need. In addition to the young puppies that we donate to service dog organizations across the country, Project2Heal occasionally keeps some of the dogs in full training to become service dogs for local residents.
Our Puppy Raising Program is a volunteer based program where temporary foster families or individuals provide a loving home for one of our service dogs in-training. Puppy raisers are responsible for daily care and training while also socializing the puppy at least three times per week in different environments. Service dogs need to be confident working in a variety of environments, so it's critical that our service dogs in-training receive socialization and training during a very critical period in their development.
Puppy raisers are guided and supported by Project2Heal staff and are required to attend monthly meetings, fill out a monthly behavioral report, and communicate effectively with Project2Heal regarding the dog’s health, behavior, and training. Project2Heal provides all the necessary equipment needed for the care and training of each puppy and also covers food and medical expenses. Volunteers are welcome to cover the costs of the puppy’s food or medical care, but it is not required.
Puppy raisers must live within one hour of Charlotte, NC and be able to attend monthly in-person meetings. The average time commitment for a puppy raiser is 10-12 months. Puppies typically receive some initial training from Project2Heal staff and are then transferred into raiser homes between 10-16 weeks of age. The dogs are typically evaluated at 12 months of age and will return to Project2Heal to start formal service dog training between 12-16 months of age.
AVAILABLE CAREER CHANGE DOGS
CONTACT US ABOUT AVAILABLE DOGS
While service work is the goal for each of our puppies, occasionally a dog is released from our program or one of our partner programs. Many of our career change dogs go on to have different jobs that assist people and communities in a wide variety of roles, such as Therapy Dogs or Facility Dogs.
For the small percentage of career change dogs that are not placed in other lines of work or are not adopted or placed by the volunteer(s) who raised them, we are committed to finding loving forever homes for them through our dog adoption program.
When a career change dog is purchased from Project 2 Heal, 100% of the proceeds go directly to the work we do to serve our veterans, children with special needs, and adults with disabilities. If you are interested in learning more about adopting a career change dog, please contact us.
