Horbury couple foster 13 pups for Yorkshire assistance dog charity

Julie is a volunteer puppy socialiser for Sheffield-based national charity Support Dogs, which trains assistance dogs for children and adults with epilepsy, autism and a range of serious medical conditions, enabling them to lead safer, more independent lives.

To cope with rising demand for its free services the charity has developed a thriving puppy programme.

But as pups can’t be trained full time until they are 14 months old, Support Dogs relies on a small army of volunteers like Julie to provide them with a loving home and some basic training before they’re old enough for the next stage of their journey to become a life-changing support dog.

Julie decided to become a puppy socialiser when she retired as a medical secretary at Barnsley District General Hospital after 34 years, at the age of 64.

At the moment, along with husband Paul, she is looking after female Labrador, Corey, who is just seven months old, before which she provided short-term holiday cover for another 11 puppies.

Julie said: “We have a motor home and we go away a lot, often to Filey.

“All the pups have been away with us. It’s very social being puppy socialisers– we have met some lovely people, and made really good friends. People who are doing this tend to be nice people who like dogs so we have got a lot in common.”

But it’s not all fun – it can be tough too.

“It’s hard work looking after a puppy, in a way harder when you are a puppy socialiser because you have to be consistent all the time, make them behave and follow Support Dogs’ rules because they are going to be professional service dogs, not pets,” Julie said.

“Right from the start we are training them.”

The one thing most puppy socialisers don’t enjoy is saying goodbye to their puppies at the age of 14 months when they move to the charity’s training centre, also known as ‘big school.’

But Julie takes it all in her stride. “I am only doing this for the end result,” she said.

“When you have your own dog, when they leave you it’s because they have died. Whereas when these dogs leave you, they are moving on to someone or something better, and to change someone’s life."

Julie says she would highly recommend being a puppy socialiser for Support Dogs, especially to recently retired people who love dogs and don’t want the commitment of owning a dog.

“It’s so convenient, and all our food and vet’s bills are paid for. And you can literally take the puppies anywhere, it’s not like having a pet dog which doesn’t have access to restricted areas. It’s a nice way to volunteer and we absolutely love doing it.”

If you would like to be a puppy socialiser for Support Dogs contact Support Dogs on 0114 2617800, email [email protected] or go to the website Could you be a puppy socialiser? | Support Dogs