PAALS enables volunteers to temporarily foster service dogs
Though many students might not be able to devote the time to owning a pet, they now have the option to spend a weekend with one if they want.
Palmetto Animal Assistance Life Services (PAALS), a non-profit organization training service dogs, uses the help of volunteer fosters and weekend pup-sitters to give dogs a break from training. There are no fees for volunteers, and PAALS currently has 20 pup-sitters.
"A foster is someone who makes a minimum six-month commitment to take the same dog every weekend so they can build a relationship with that dog," PAALS Executive Director Jennifer Rogers said. "A pup-sitter is somebody who will only take the pup for a weekend, and they don't know which pup that is, when we need someone to cover for a foster. So, they just get on an email list, and we email them when we need coverage."
PAALS service dogs are divided into five categories. Service dogs for mobility challenges help individuals who are wheelchair-bound by turning on lights, opening doors and picking up items. Service dogs for autism provide comfort to their owners by pressing on a leg or lying in their laps as well as increasing their social skills. Service dogs for facilities assist professionals in the workplace by providing motivation to clients. Skilled home companions offer a range of abilities to make a homebound individual's life easier. Finally, service dogs for post-traumatic stress disorder ease their owner's fears by creating a physical barrier between the owner and others. These dogs mainly assist soldiers who suffer from the disorder.
Professionals typically breed PAALS service dogs, but sometimes rescue dogs are trained. However, rescue dogs are not as easily trained and are often more costly. Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers have been the most successful service dogs, according to PAALS. Dogs usually begin training as young puppies for two years, giving them time to mature. PAALS' website states that dogs should be trained for one to two hours a day for a minimum of six months. When a dog reaches 10 years old, it usually retires. Their owners can either continue to care for them, or they may be placed in a foster home.
Rogers said that the next pup-sitting/foster class begins on April 20 at the Capital Senior Center from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The class lasts throughout the weekend, with Saturday and Sunday's training taking place at the PAALS home base.
"During that weekend, it's a pup-sitters/foster class because everyone goes through the same initial class. They learn how to take care of the dog, how to feed the dog, how to walk the dog appropriately, how to put on their equipment, how to play or not play with the dog, what type of toys are OK to give our dogs, how to deal with other dogs, so there's lots of information. Also how to do basic care or how to tell a dog is having a medical issue," Rogers said.
Ellis Allen, a third-year sport and entertainment management student, is leading his HRSM 301 class group project. The group chose to raise money for PAALS by selling wristbands on Greene Street and at Five points for $3. PAALS provided the group with brochures to inform people who buy a wristband.
"It was something interesting that we'd never heard of before, so we decided we'd get it out there and raise awareness and money for them," Allen said.
The group will continue selling the PAALS wristbands for a few more weeks, and the project will be concluded April 16.