HOLLADAY, Utah — Rescue dogs are being trained to serve military veterans. Now, the organization training these dogs is asking for volunteers from the community.
“We find the more pre-training the better,” said Harleigh Poulson, a trainer with Canines With a Cause.
The nonprofit is recruiting a community of fosters that will help the rescue dogs on their journey to becoming service dogs. “We believe shelter dogs are worth it,” Poulson said. “We find shelter dogs have also gone through a lot. Saving two lives at once is very meaningful to us.”
The foster community is known as the “paw squad.” “The bond you feel with a dog is like nothing else,” said Chloe Chinchilla, operations manager with Canines With a Cause.
Chinchilla has fostered several dogs and has felt the mix of emotions when it is time for the animal to move on to its new home. “You definitely form an emotional bond with a dog,” Chinchilla said. “I think overall, you are making a big impact.
Canines With a Cause hopes that foster care volunteers stay in touch with veterans because the work they do will have an impact for many years. “Taking dogs and finding them a purpose that works for them and helps people is such a joy,” Chinchilla said.
Learn more about becoming a foster here.
