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Dire Wolf Guardian's Heavenly Host
Puppy Raiser Volunteer
At eight weeks old, each potential DireWolf Guardian Dog is placed with a host family. The host family is called the Guardian's Heavenly Host. The Dire Wolf Guardian's Heavenly Host family is an integral part of the growth and development of a well-rounded assistance dog. After receiving exclusive online training, Heavenly Host volunteers begin their journey on a time-honored mission.
All first-time Heavenly Host applicants must fill out an extensive application and be interviewed before a puppy is placed in their home. Heavenly Host families must live in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, or Utah. Children and pets in the household are a plus.
At the time of the interview, the Heavenly Host volunteer receives a Dire Wolf Guardian manual describing how to be an effective puppy raiser as well as the time and date of the next online training session. One training session is required prior to having a Dire Wolf Guardian puppy placed in your home.
At the time of placement, the Heavenly Host family will receive a bowl, brush, bone, leash, collar, ID tag, ID card, puppy jacket and a 5 lb bag of dog food. Food and any items purchased for the puppy are tax deductible and the DireWolf Guardian Dog Training Facility pays for all veterinary bills, on a reimbursement basis.
Your Role as a Heavenly Host Volunteer
As a Heavenly Host volunteer you will play an essential part in the initial well-rounded life of a DireWolf Guardian. It will be important to make sure your puppy receives the proper socialization needed to help adjust to the important job it will have as a fully certified DireWolf Guardian assistance dog. It will be your responsibility to socialize your assigned DireWolf Guardian as much as you can. Take your assigned puppy everywhere. Expose it to as many different situations as possible (construction sites, downtown, playgrounds, other animals, and children). A well socialized DireWolf Guardian puppy will have fewer adjustments to make when it becomes time for formal DireWolf Guardian assistance dog training.
The Heavenly Host volunteer is required to teach the DireWolf Guardian puppy basic obedience, such as how to walk on a leash, how to sit, stay, lay down and come when called. It will be your responsibility to take your puppy through an approved basic obedience class and to attend puppy kindergarten sessions in your area. The puppy kindergarten sessions allow your puppy to interact with other dogs of the same or relatively the same age. It is a good time to make new friends.
Each week, the Heavenly Host volunteer is required to post a blog article on the progress of their DireWolf Guardian puppy. You will also have access to every other Heavenly Host volunteer's blog posts and will be required to comment on at least one other's post each week. This allows you to connect with other Heavenly Host volunteers. It is a great time to make friends and compare notes on your puppies.
The puppy returns to the Dire Wolf Project breeder assigned to your puppy at around thirteen to eighteen months of age. The DireWolf Guardian dog training facility holds a luncheon for Heavenly Host volunteers when it is time to bring the puppies in as a way to say thank you, to get together one last time, and to give Heavenly Host volunteers an opportunity to say good bye as they send their puppy off to their new destinies. Heavenly Host volunteers can keep tabs on their DireWolf Guardian through the breeder's website, visiting the Dire Wolf Project site assigned to their DireWolf Guardian and by frequently the American Alsatian owner's Facebook group.
After they return from their time at their assigned Dire Wolf Project site, Formal training can begin. It takes about four to six months to complete all of the requirements associated with any particular assistance dog training course. There is no visiting during this time, but the Heavenly Host volunteer can visit their DireWolf Guardian's blog page to see how their loved one is doing while in training. The ultimate reward for the Heavenly Host volunteer is to meet the recipient of the dog they raised at the DireWolf Guardian graduation ceremony provided by the DireWolf Guardian dog training facility.
To apply to be a Heavenly Host volunteer, please click here.
