Volunteering

Ways to Help >Volunteer

There are many ways to help!
Now that we have our Training Center, there are more ways than ever to get involved:
Upcoming Events
Dripping Springs Women’s Club’s Community Volunteer Fair
    When: Saturday, Feb. 9th: 11AM - 2PM
    Where: The Terrace Club in Dripping Springs
The Texas Home and Garden Show
When: Friday, February 29th: 1PM - 7PM
Saturday, March 1st: 10AM - 7PM
Sunday, March 2nd: 10AM - 5PM
Where: The Austin Convention Center
Polo for Puppies
    When: Saturday, April 26th: 1PM - 6PM
    Where: Manor, TX
The Mighty Texas Dog Walk
    When: Saturday, May 17th
    Where: Downtown Austin

If you are interested in volunteering at any of these events, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Debbie Randall at Debbie@servicedogs.org or call 512-891-9090.

Foster Trainers Needed
What do Foster Trainers do?
Foster Trainers keep a Hearing or Service Dog in their home for 3 - 4 months. They socialize the dog to living in a home and to various public environments such as stores, restaurants, offices, sporting events, etc. This is a very important part of the Hearing or Service Dog's training because it teaches them to be comfortable and confident in all sorts of places. It also gives the dog experience in behaving properly in public.
How are Foster Trainers trained?
We have an eight hour orientation over two days. We also provide a Foster Training manual. This includes Training Reports that the Foster Trainer fills out about the dog's progress. We also have weekly group Foster Trainer sessions at the Training Center and later in public places such as Home Depot.
Do the dogs have any training when the Foster Trainer gets them?
Yes. The dogs will have 4-6 weeks of training at THSD's Training Center prior to going to a Foster Trainer.
How do I qualify to be a Foster Trainer?
You must be able to have the dog with you most of the day. If you work full time, you must be able to take the dog with you to work. People who make good Foster Trainers include:
  • Retired persons
  • Home schooled teens
  • People who work part time
  • People who work out of their home
  • People who are structured and well organized
    • To sign up for the next Foster Trainer Orientation, email Volunteer Coordinator Debbie Randall at Debbie@servicedogs.org
    Other Ways To Help
    Help take care of dogs at the Training Center - walking, playing with, bathing, etc.
    * Especially needed - help on weekends
    Special events - join THSD staff and grads at special events all over Texas. Talk to the public, hand out THSD brochures, sell extra t-shirts, take donations.
    Handy in the yard? Help with landscaping - bring your trusty lawnmower or weedeater and rev her up!
    Ever wanna be Donald Trump? Create your own fundraisier for THSD. We've already had a canine massage class, a dog 'n disc competition and a basketball tournament. Big or small, it all helps!

    We LOVE & APPRECIATE our volunteers! And since we believe in positive reinforcement, we reward our volunteers with "Bonus Bones" redeemable for prizes like gift certificates and baked goods.
    To find out more about volunteering, contact Debbie@servicedogs.org
    You can also request an application by phone or mail:

    Texas Hearing & Service Dogs
    4803 Rutherglen
    Austin, TX 78749
    Phone: (512) 891-9090
    Toll free: (877) TEX-DOGS