Volunteer as a Vocational Dog Walker with SPPOT
It’s widely known that walking dogs provides enormous benefits to mental and physical well being for people and dogs.
SPPOT’s Volunteer Dog Walking Team has been running since 2013 and has proven the benefits to our volunteers, the dogs and the dogs’ families
We provide fully funded accredited training and supported dog walking volunteering opportunities for people who are furthest from the job market but live relatively independently
The accredited training we provide, enables people to become Volunteer Dog Walkers, fully supported by SPPOT who will continue to train, support and insure each person in whichever way suits them best.
The training course for Volunteer Dog Walkers is run by qualified staff in a fun and informal style, with no requirement to read, write or speak out loud to a group.
Every course offered by SPPOT is intended to benefit dogs too, by promoting kind, effective methods of training and handling. We teach up to date, ethical, and scientifically proven techniques.
If you or someone you are working with are interested in funding out more about becoming a Volunteer Dog Walker, please get in touch using the form below.
How to Apply
We accept applications from people who experience significant barriers to employment, for example, because of a disability, mental health issue, substance misuse issue, long term illness or who are unable to work for other health or social reasons. If you fit the criteria above, please get in touch yourself or ask a family member or professional to make contact on your behalf.
Human-Animal-Interaction (HAI)- the benefits of dogs to people – why SPPOT works
For people who enjoy the company of dogs, some of the benefits of becoming a part of the SPPOT Team include:
- A clear purpose and worthwhile role in the community
- Developing empathy, care skills, responsibility, resilience, creative thinking, social skills and communication
- Dog walking provides fresh air, exercise, motivation, improves physical and mental wellbeing, community engagement—and fun!
- Importantly, many skills for life can be learnt through the medium of dogs – for example:
- Teamwork and self-reliance
- Management of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and so forth
- Customer service skills
- Bus skills and skills for navigation on foot
How to Apply
If you are a person (or you represent someone) who meets our eligibility criteria, you can contact SPPOT directly to find out about current routes to funding (or self-funding) your training with us.
You can also contact your social worker, support worker, CPN or another professional who works with you, who can contact us for you.
If you are looking for a Work Experience placement, please contact us by using the button below to apply, We have many people interested in work experience with us, but can only accept one or two people at a time, but will always try to accommodate people who want a career working with animals
We can arrange drop-in sessions for people waiting to start training and anyone else who is interested in getting to know more about SPPOT.
