National Service Dogs in Cambridge has put out an urgent call for people to help raise a massive litter of puppies that will be in need of homes on Oct. 19.
“Currently we have a litter of 11 puppies that need puppy raisers,“ said Caitlin Bonaldo, assistant director, puppy development, with National Service Dogs.
Bonaldo said that her organization “breeds and trains service dogs for children with Autism, as well as for first responders and veterans with PTSD.”
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They put out the call for help earlier this week and have received a great response, but she says they are always looking for more help.
“We are always looking for puppy raisers and we have four other volunteer programs if puppy raising doesn’t sound like the type of role someone has time for,” Bonaldo explained. “We ask that people visit our website and fill out an application and we will direct them for the next steps.”
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People who are able to take on a puppy, will receive the dog when it is around eight weeks old, and will care for it until it is between 16 and 20 months of age.
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Puppy raisers, as they are termed, are responsible for taking the pooches everywhere — work, home and play — to get them acclimated with being out in the world in a busy environment.
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“This real-world training imitates the experiences that our service dogs need to successfully help become the best service dog possible for NSD clients,” the organization said in a media release.
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