Our volunteers change lives.
Monkey Tail Ranch simply wouldn’t be the remarkable place it is without the help of countless volunteers. If you’d like to join them, we’re eager to talk with you.
By volunteering your time and talents, you can help make the lives of children and families living with special needs both manageable and rewarding. Below are some of the opportunities available at the ranch.
Volunteer Opportunities
- Puppy raising
- Training internships
- Social media marketing
- Public relations
- Community event support
- Fundraising support
- Grant research and writing
- Office management
Raise A Puppy
Who doesn’t love puppies? Raising them, however, is a genuine responsibility. As a volunteer puppy raiser, you’ll be providing a puppy with a safe home, socializing it, and teaching it obedience. The puppy, meanwhile, will be responsible for showering you with love and affection.
You will be the puppy’s primary caregiver from eight weeks until approximately 12 months of age. Your daily responsibilities will include recommended feeding, grooming, socialization, and exercise. Monkey Tail Ranch will cover all of the puppy’s routine medical expenses.
Your longer-term responsibilities will include the following four areas of a personal and financial commitment:
Puppy Care
You’ll need to raise the puppy in a safe home environment with either a fenced yard or secure outdoor play area, feed it approved food, and supply all required puppy raising items.
Personal Participation
You will enroll the puppy in an approved obedience class, submit monthly progress reports, and keep us apprised of any training issues or behavioral concerns.
Puppy Socialization
With our guidance, you’ll agree to expose the puppy to a variety of environmental and situational experiences while following approved guidelines and handling techniques.
Puppy Transportation
As a puppy raiser, you’ll also be responsible for transportation costs associated with receiving and returning the puppy.
If you think you’re up to the task, fill out our Puppy Raiser application.
Become a Training Intern
Becoming a Monkey Tail Ranch intern provides you with the tools, skills, and knowledge essential to all autism service dog trainers. Plus, it’s an all-around fun experience.
You’ll work under the guidance of our lead trainer for 16 months or so. And you don’t need any prior autism service dog training experience. And once you complete your internship, we could choose you to become a paid trainer on our staff.
You’ll enjoy benefits such as:
- Developing career skills, knowledge, and experience
- Becoming a collaborative member of our elite training team
- Working from home (with the option to travel)
- A monthly stipend to cover all training supplies and care costs
Your duties will include:
- Raising and training a puppy/autism service dog candidate
- Boarding, caring, training, and socializing the puppy
- Weekly progress calls, video submissions, and keeping a training log
Internship requirements:
- Previous dog training experience or a degree from Bergin University of Canine Studies
- The time to work with the puppy each and every day
- The ability to take the puppy along with you to most places
Candidates with dogs under 2 or children under 6 cannot be considered.