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PRINCETON, Mass. — The demand for service dogs is growing. A local nonprofit organization has already paired more than 2,000 service dogs with clients to assist them with their disability, but now it needs volunteers to step up in a big way.

Of course—they’re cute and playful, but the Labrador puppies at NEADS have a serious task ahead of them—they are getting ready to be service dogs.

“We want dogs that are confident, able to go out in public settings and work with their client to help bridge the gaps between their disability and being out in society,” said Kate Albertini, the Director of Breeding and Puppy Development at National Education for Assistance Dog Services.

Kate Albertini is the Director of Breeding and Puppy Development at NEADS—a nonprofit in Princeton that trains and provides service dogs for people with disabilities, hearing loss, and autism.

“It takes us two years to train a service dog,” said Albertini. “These dogs go through many, many levels of socialization to be able to work up from being in a quiet coffee shop to like going to a concert or going to Logan Airport.”

Part of that training involves volunteers—and right now the supply of puppy raisers is not keeping up with the demand.

“We are looking for really people who have time to dedicate to training, socializing, loving the dogs,” said Albertini.

Starting at 12 weeks old, the puppies are raised by people in the community.

“We want to make sure that the folks that raise these puppies are active enough so that the pups can be exposed to a lot of different environments and also be willing to work with our NEADS instructors who are professionals that guide our puppy raisers along,” said Heather Romanoff, manager of volunteer engagement with NEADS.

Romanoff helps screen the volunteers. She says once they find someone to take on the responsibility, NEADS covers all the costs involved–including the food, medical care, and crates.

“We have over 200 puppy raisers across New England and everybody is so helpful,” said Romanoff. “We all want to make sure that each puppy raiser and each puppy succeeds in becoming a service dog.”

The puppy raiser can be full time or part time—but after about a year-the volunteer’s work is complete.

“I will say that a lot of puppy raisers will say a piece of their heart goes with every single puppy, but they’ll also tell you that once they start meeting clients that are matched with the dogs that they raise, it changes their perspective and it gives them additional purpose and it helps that little bit of a broken heart,” said Romanoff. “Plus taking on another puppy doesn’t hurt.”

And the impact these dogs have on clients’ lives Albertini says is sometimes hard to put into words.

“The dog helping them move from potentially like really dark places in their lives to you know, moving to a place where they are able to go out into the world and you know, hang out with friends and go to the grocery store, which might seem like simple everyday tasks, but for some of our clients, those are things that they weren’t doing before they got their dog,” said Albertini.

NEADS currently has 19 puppies that it needs puppy raisers for. If you are interested, you can apply on their website at www.neads.org.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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