VOLUNTEER

Volunteers mean a lot to our staff, our dogs, our ABEL trainers, and our clients. Come be a part of positive change…

because our staff gets a boost from your energy, skills, and fresh outlook.
because our dogs can't wait to meet you (or see you again!).
because our clients appreciate your efforts to help them become more independent.
because volunteering offers meaningful connections to people in your community and just feels good

Our volunteers say...

“I found myself surrounded by some of the most caring, talented, gentle and generous people. There aren’t many college students that can say they have friends from age eleven to age seventy, or spend their spring break with a group of inmates!”

“Like many Young Puppy Trainers, I signed up because I love being around dogs, and knew it would be special to help someone in need. What I didn't know is just how meaningful the experience would be. I honestly feel so fortunate just to have been along for the ride and to have helped raise this dog who will truly change someone's life!”

How can I help?

There are so many ways you can take part in our mission! We've organized some of our most common volunteer opportunities into categories based on whether you are making an ongoing commitment or just want to help out from time to time when you are able.

If you want to help with any of these positions, you can join our volunteer database and sign up for shifts online. Shifts that require training may not be visible until you have completed training.

View Shifts Online

Set Up Volunteer Account

Positions with a regular schedule and an ongoing commitment

Young Puppy Trainer

Every pup in training with Eyes Ears Nose and Paws starts out in a Young Puppy Trainer home until they are placed in advanced training in our prison training partnership. It’s probably the most rigorous and fulfilling volunteer job we have. Young Puppy Trainers have weekly training assignments, which include housebreaking, crate training, and off-leash walks. Think you’d like to become a Young Puppy Trainer? Read more on the Young Puppy Trainer page to learn more about our program and the responsibilities.

ABEL Assistant

EENP staff visit our ABEL prison partnerships weekly, generally on Tuesdays and Thursdays. ABEL Support volunteers make a regular, ongoing commitment to attend ABEL training to support EENP staff on one of these days (ideally weekly but other regular schedule could be considered). Volunteers help with wrangling stuff (bags of dog food, training materials, and paperwork) and dogs (furlough dogs are transferred weekly), as well as tracking time and running exercises with the trainers.

Program Support

Puppy Wrangling

[This position is currently inactive due to constraints around our office space during the pandemic. We expect to restart this position when we move to our larger space in Hillsborough. Date TBD.] We have puppies in the office most Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays during the day. We need help wrangling those puppies! Volunteers must have current Canine Care & Safety certification. Responsibilities include holding puppies, taking the puppies on walks, playing with the puppies, minor/basic training, light cleaning, and helping with field trips for Friday morning shifts.

Administrative Support

Development Projects Committee

Positions with an irregular schedule

PR Events

EENP attends 4-8 events each year in order to publicize our activities and recruit volunteers. We need volunteers to work 2-3 hour shifts at events talking to visitors about EENP, our clients, and the work we do. There is no ongoing commitment to be a shift volunteer, but volunteers should be active with EENP or have attended a recent Volunteer Orientation so they can answer questions about EENP effectively.

Puppy Caregiver

Puppy Caregivers house pups for short periods during transition periods between training programs, when pups come out of our Prison Program for medical care, and in cases of emergency. Volunteers do not have training responsibilities but are responsible for:

Following EENP policies and standards to keep pups healthy and safe
Required volunteer training every 4 months to keep everyone fresh

Brood Caregiver

Brood Caregivers are volunteers who house a breeding female (a "brood") through at least one reproductive cycle, including whelping and rearing a litter of puppies. Brood Caregivers should be willing to commit to a year in the position, but are encouraged to remain in the position for longer. EENP provides plenty of support with materials, instruction, and volunteers to help out. This is an exciting, fun, and intense volunteer position for the right home! Learn more and apply for a position on our brood caregiver page.

Pup Transport

Pup Transport Volunteers help us get pups to and from prison (and occasionally other locations). These trips can be unexpected (generally if we have a pup that has a medical or behavioral issue crop up) or planned (if we have an event where we need one or more dogs that are currently living in prison). Pup Transport Volunteers need to be current with Canine Care & Safety and PREA training (annual), and have their own vehicle to use for transport. Volunteers can accept trips on a case-by-case basis. Trips generally take 2.5-3 hours roundtrip from EENP’s office.

Facility Maintenance