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Puppy Raising

Puppy raisers live in a WVN house with three other puppy raisers and one puppy. You are responsible for the everyday needs of the puppy, socializing them, and filling out weekly and monthly reports on the their progress.

Puppy raisers must first attend an informational session about 4 Paws, then attend an interview with the 4 Paws campus coordinator. Next you will fill out 4 Paws’ puppy raiser application, submit a WVN application, and finally attend a WVN housing interview.

Puppy Sitting

Puppy sitters take the dogs for a few hours at a time, with the purpose of socializing them to a new experience.

Puppy sitters must first apply through 4 Paws’ application, then if accepted attend an orientation at 4 Paws in Xenia. Finally, you will meet with members of a house and their dog to discuss opportunities to work with the dog.

More Information

Fill out this survey to let us know you are interested.

We love it when our dog gets to meet new people! Exposing the dog to new sights, smells, sounds, etc. is our main goal throughout the semester. Most of the time, we would absolutely love it for you to pet our dog, but, please always ASK before petting! There are times when we want our dog to focus on a command that has been given to them, and someone petting them can be a huge distraction. Being able to listen to the commands given by a handler is really important for a service dog in training, so be sure to ask first!

We don’t! It’s important to realize that we are NOT providing the training for these dogs for the service they will eventually provide for a child or veteran. We are fosters, so we do general care, keep up basic obedience commands, and provide lots and lots of socialization experiences for the dogs. However, we do attend a 5 hour orientation at the beginning of the semester to go over our responsibilities. We also have monthly meetings at 4 Paws to work with the trainers on any issues we may be experiencing with our dogs. In the end, it is the dog trainers at 4 Paws who train our puppies to become service dogs, we just socialize!

Yes! Legally, service dogs in training have the same rights as full fledged service dogs, allowing them to go everywhere we go. This is important for the dogs in training so they get to experience anything and everything they could encounter as a service dog. Our dog goes to class, restaurants, the grocery store, the county fair, and anywhere else that we go. There are lots of great places around Wooster for the dogs to get new experiences!

Of course, giving the dog back at the end of the semester is incredibly difficult. We absolutely love every dog that we have on campus and letting go is bittersweet. While the good-bye is hard, we know that the dogs we work with go on to have a huge impact in the life of someone who needs them. 4 Paws even has ‘graduation’ ceremonies for fosters to attend and meet the dog’s new family. These families are beyond incredible and meeting them makes saying good-bye well worth it.

Get Involved

Puppy Raising

Puppy Sitting

More Information

FAQ 1: Can I pet your dog?

FAQ 2: What organization do you work with?

FAQ 3: How do you learn how to train the dogs?

FAQ 4: Does the dog get to go everywhere with you?

FAQ 5: Is it hard to give the dog back?

Wooster Dog Blogs

Website Administration

Get Involved

Puppy Raising

Puppy Sitting

More Information

4 Paws for Wooster

FAQ 1: Can I pet your dog?

FAQ 2: What organization do you work with?

FAQ 3: How do you learn how to train the dogs?

FAQ 4: Does the dog get to go everywhere with you?

FAQ 5: Is it hard to give the dog back?

Wooster Dog Blogs

Website Administration