Volunteers wanted for service dog training in Medicine Hat. Charles Lytton/Dreamstime.com

By Jayk Sterkenburg

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Service dog company looking for volunteers in Medicine Hat

Jan 10, 2025 | 4:13 PM

Summit Service Dogs, which offers fully-trained service dogs through their owner trained program, say they’re in need of help, however, from volunteers who are interested in raising and training service dogs.

Their dogs provide support for autism, medical response, mobility, and PTSD.

SSD also provides facility dogs for organizations who benefit from a trained dog at their workplace.

Nathalie Gillespie, CEO of SSD, said that the company is very involved in the community.

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“As we train, we like to be able to give back to our community as well,” she said.

“It also provides the dogs with really great experiences so that they can carry forward with their forever homes.”

Gillespie said that they are currently making weekly visits in the public school system.

The dogs are trained to act as “reading buddies” with the students.

She said the company also does lots of work at the library, with events that they facilitate.

They also make weekly visits to the Medicine Hat Hospital, to visit with patients.

Gillespie said that, as far as training resources, the company greatly relies on volunteers.

“Puppy raisers are the backbone of what we do,” she said.

“They’re why we can do what we do, and offer dogs that are well-adjusted dogs to serve their purpose as a dog to support their human,” she added.

“They love them. They nurture them, help to train them, help to give them socialization experiences out and about in the community as well.”

Gillespie said that the company offers two options for those who participate as puppy raisers.

“The first option is that they take a young puppy and do weekly classes with us, and learn to train and give the dog all that love,” she said.

Gillespie said the second option occurs following the dog’s entry into advanced training at around 18 months old.

“We have a training school where we train the dogs during the day and then they go back to their family at the evening,” she said.

“It’s a good option for people that work during the day, can’t care for the dog while they’re working, then they can drop it off here and we can train.”

Gillespie said that the company is hoping to get more help with the service, as they’re always in need of it.