Freedom Service Dogs (FSD) was founded in Denver in 1987 and has grown into one of the largest service dog organizations in the country. Content Coordinator, Kendle Frank shares, “Our mission statement is we transform lives by custom training assistance dogs for people living with disabilities at no cost. All of our dogs are custom-trained to meet the unique needs of the person they’re strategically paired with.”
Kendle goes on to explain, “We train service dogs, professional therapy dogs, skilled companion dogs and facility dogs for veterans and first responders with PTSD or traumatic brain injuries as well as adults with autism, mobility challenges and also mental health and crisis support professionals.”
While FSD has many volunteer opportunities, one of their biggest needs is puppy raisers. Kendle introduces me to Maxy, whom she’s currently raising as a puppy. Maxy has her own unique training as the Colorado Avalanche Team Dog.
“None of what we do is possible without puppy raisers. They are a huge part of our program. They are the people who guide our little service dog superstars. We need them in order to offset a lot of the cost. This is the most vital stage of their service dog journey, but it is not up to the puppy raiser to train them. It’s just their job to enforce the training they already know and then advance their training.”
Kendle explains, “Our puppies start socializing and training on day two of their lives. They spend eight weeks in the nursery with their mom. Our volunteers and staff take care of the mamas and puppies. They do a fantastic job. Our nursery is really cool! Then the puppies typically go to a prison program at about eight weeks old. They go to the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility, the Sterling Men’s Correctional Facility in Sterling, Colorado and then the Fort Dodge Facility. It’s a men’s correctional facility in Iowa. Typically, in these programs, they spend about six to eight weeks. They’re partnered with an inmate handler ,and they learn all the basics there. So, by the time they come to their puppy raiser, they’re almost fully crate trained, house trained and they have a really good foundation for basic cues like sit, down and come. They learn both hand and verbal cues.”
This is where the puppy raisers come into the picture. FSD matches puppy raisers with dogs based on personality. Kendle shares, “We look at the skills of the puppy raiser, the strengths and weaknesses of the puppy and then we match them with a raiser we think might be a good fit. The awesome thing about being a puppy raiser is Freedom Service Dogs covers all the costs, so you get all of the benefits of having, seriously, the best dog you’ve ever had, but Freedom Service Dogs covers the supplies, veterinary care, one-on-one training and further support.”
She goes on to share the responsibilities as a puppy raiser. She says, “You do the basic training, the care, the house manners and the socializing, and it’s really fun because they have full service dog access. And then once a month, we do a lesson or an outing with our trainers so that we get the support we need and they can get eyes on the puppy and see how they’re progressing through the service dog program.”
She refers to Maxy, “So we go to restaurants. We go to the zoo. She comes to work with me. Everywhere I go, for the most part, she can go as well.”
Kendle has raised three puppies, Winter, Hazy and now Maxy. The biggest goal as a puppy raiser is to make sure they have a good foundation to move forward into more specialized training. FSD provides pet sitters if you need to go on vacation or a work trip, and they even invite the idea of co-raising a puppy with someone else to share responsibilities. You can raise a puppy for as little as two months or as long as 14 months. The most important requirement is that you love dogs and are able to provide in-home care.
The support FSD provides to veterans, first responders and disabled adults through their service dog program makes a profound difference. If you’re interested in finding out more, you can visit www.freedomservicedogs.org
"None of what we do is possible without puppy raisers. They are a huge part of our program..."
The biggest goal as a puppy raiser is to make sure they have a good foundation to move forward into more specialized training.