Give the gift of fostering and working with a future service dog and help a child or adult who has a disability in need today!

Please read through all this info before deciding if this is something you might like to do.

Interested foster volunteer-applicants will be required to submit a foster/puppy raiser application form, (see below) references are required and to complete a successful interview with a Paws For Life USA staff member to be considered for the program.

Foster / puppy raiser volunteers must reside in Metro Atlanta Georgia Area or be able to travel for regular weekly training sessions and have availability to exercise the puppy / dog in a safe fenced-in area.  

Foster / puppy raiser families are needed to socialize and provide various training to puppies who are 8 weeks and older for a varied amount of time  depending on when placement is made with their matched handler. During this time foster / puppy raisers will come for training with a Paws For Life trainer on a weekly basis plus continued training “On The Job Training” when not in Paws For Life training Class.

The key purpose of the foster / puppy raiser program is to socialize and train puppies or dogs to prepare them for their lives as service dogs. Volunteer foster / puppy raisers are responsible for taking Paws For Life puppies out in public in their service dog jacket often to expose the puppies to unfamiliar environments such as shopping malls, movie theatres, parks, playgrounds, buses, trains, grocery stores and also around people of different ages, and other animals, etc. It is critical that foster / puppy raiser families expose the puppies to the sights, sounds and smells they will encounter as service dogs. Foster / puppy raiser individuals or families are also responsible for assisting Paws For Life in maintaining the puppy or dogs health care by scheduling if not done by Paws For Life and transporting the puppy or adult dog to routine veterinary appointments. Paws For Life provides the routine veterinary care to all puppies / dogs in training at no cost to the foster families. But should an accident or medical needs come from lack of supervision or fault of the foster or puppy raiser then these medical costs would be their responsibility.

Foster / puppy raiser individuals or families are provided with food and the necessary training equipment. Puppy and dog training/socialization classes are held in our school in East Cobb, Marietta GA or surrounding Metro Atlanta areas for foster / puppy raiser individuals or families to receive the necessary training raining.

Foster / puppy raiser individuals or families may have the opportunity to meet the child or adult who receives the service dog they have helped train and raise based on the service dog handler’s wishes.

If you need more info, you can fill out this info request form:

If you are certain this is something you would like to do Apply here:  Puppy Raiser Application