Phoenix Assistance Dogs is based out of Lititz. They train puppies and dogs to help people with various types of disabilities. They train dogs to assist people in wheelchairs, people with PTSD, hearing difficulties, children with autism and other conditions, and also they have a contract with Warwick School District to place Facility Dogs in the school.
Linzey Zoccola is the director and founder of the service dog program. She herself has been in a wheelchair her whole life so she knows first hand how life changing a service dog can be for someone.
Right now, with COVID-19, it’s been difficult because a lot of the fundraisers have had to be canceled, training of the puppies has had to be done virtually, and people aren’t able to take the puppies into public as often for training. In addition to that, there is a litter of puppies that are going to be ready to be placed with raisers in a month.
The program is 100% volunteer based. People volunteer as puppy raisers or pet sitters. The puppy raises are trained how to teach the dogs the behaviors they need to learn and socialize them to a wide variety of sights, sounds and people. Pet sitters are just that, they pet sit the puppy when needed. The pet sitters go through an orientation that tells them about the program and the policies.
Food and vet care is provided for the puppy raisers by the program.
The litter that will need raisers are standard poodles (see photo below). There will probably be golden retrievers also in a couple of months. Phoenix Assistance Dogs has a small breeding program and also receives dogs by donation. They are a 501c3 non-profit.
The raisers do not have to have previous dog training experience. People who rent can be raisers, and they do not need a fenced yard. People with children or other dogs/pets or who work full time can all be puppy raisers.
Phoenix Assistance Dogs Contact Info
You can learn more about Phoenix Assistance Dogs on their website or Facebook page. If you’re ready to sign up to be a puppy raiser, you can go straight to their Puppy Raiser Application form! I love that they provide education for you on how to train the puppies!!
