New Life K9s provides service dogs, free of charge, to veterans and first responders living with PTSD. We start with puppies of about 8 weeks who first go to Puppy Raiser Volunteers, before moving into skills training in-residence at California Men's Colony. As part of their socialization, both puppies with Puppy Raiser Volunteers and dogs at CMC are taken on weekly outings. 

We are looking for volunteers to assist on these outings. This may include taking photos and helping the trainers by tracking behavior and creating training situations.

Service-Dog-In-Training Outings

Monday - noon/12:30 to 2:30PM

Tuesday & Thursday - 1:30 - 3:30PM

Friday - 12:30 - 4PM

Puppy Outings

Saturday Mornings, 8/9 - 9/10 AM

For the weekday outings, volunteers come to the New Life K9s office and accompany our trainers to CMC for the pick up and drop off of the dogs. They will not be entering the premises. 

For the puppy outings, volunteers will meet at the outing location.

If you're interested in assisting with these outings, spend some time with our puppies and our service dogs in training or learn more about what we do, we welcome you to apply to become a Service Dog Outing Assistant Volunteer.

We are looking for a volunteer who is experienced with drones for project-based work. 

Thousand Hills Pet Resort is seeking volunteers for upcoming projects. If you're handy, we'd love to have you onboard. 

2026 is SLO's 50th Anniversary Holiday Parade.

Once again, we are participating to celebrate the work of New Life K9s and to spread awareness of its mission to provide service dogs to Veterans and First Responders with PTSD, at no cost.  

Join us to build an amazing float! 

This volunteer opportunity is great for anyone interested in crafting, building, and assembling, which are the main tasks for our float builders. No previous experience needed. Woodcutting, building, and design skills and experience would be great! 

We will meet in November. Details TBD. 

Giving Paws for Hope is our annual fundraiser for New Life K9s and this year it is on October 24, 2026. 

New Life K9s provides service dogs to veterans and first responders living with PTSD, at no charge. Our program collaborates with California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo, pairing incarcerated individuals looking to make a difference with future service dogs and to learn a new skill. This model helps us to maximize our funding thereby increasing our capacity to train and place dogs in the community. It also has a remarkle and positive impact on the incarcerated individuals, the prison staff, and the prison culture as a whole.

Our annual fundraiser is the biggest event of the year. 

Our Volunteer Needs:

We have a need for 

* event set-up Friday October 23 and Saturday October 24

* check-in (check in at 4PM with event starting at 5PM)

* check-out for auction event

* hospitality service - appetizer/beverage/dessert service

* raffle tickeing

* parking

* event break-down Saturday October 24 evening

We are looking for volunteers to assist us from a few days prior to the event on October 26 to the day of

Giving Paws for Hope event details

Interested in donating? Here are the details.

If you are an animal lover or want to support an important cause and spread awareness about our mission of fostering the human canine bond, please complete our volunteer application and join us for this important and fun event.

Mission Cars is looking for an ongoing, on-call volunteer to assist with various tasks. These tasks might include picking up cars and returning them, getting cars washed, and having cars smog checked. This position is on-call, with the volunteer available for some hours each week. We are willing to accommodate your schedule and find on-call hours that work well for you.

This volunteer role helps organize supplies, prep enrichment activities, perform light cleaning, and handle other behind-the-scenes tasks that keep our program running smoothly. While this is not a dog-handling role, there may be occasional opportunities to observe playgroups, assist on supervised outings, or participate in training exercises as a neutral presence.

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This role is great for:

• Those who enjoy structure and organization

• Volunteers not able to handle dogs but still want to contribute

• People who want to be part of the team—no leash required!

Short-term Puppy Raiser Volunteers provide temporary care for dogs when their primary Puppy Raiser Volunteers are unavailable or when dogs being raised in our prison program leave the prison environment for short-term furloughs. This is a great option for those unable to commit full-time but still want to support our mission.

Common situations include:

- Coverage during vacations, illness, or transitions

- Medical recovery requiring rest

- In-home behavior evaluation periods

Expectations and Requirements:

• Attend monthly Puppy Raiser meetings

• Pick up/drop off dogs as needed

• Follow all training guidelines

• If caring for a dog, complete all tasks expected of a full-time Puppy Raiser (outings, updates, meetings)

• Ability to lift and carry 50lbs

As a full-time Puppy Raiser Volunteer, you will raise a puppy through their first year of life with guidance from New Life K9 trainers. You will help them master foundational training, house manners, and public behavior as they prepare for life as a service dog.

Expectations and Requirements:

• Be 18 years old, or at least 13 years old with an adult co-raiser in the same household

• Ability to have a puppy/dog in your home full-time, from when they are approximately 8 weeks to 9 to 12 months old

• No personal dogs under 2 years of age living in the same home

• Attend weekly Puppy Raiser meetings either virtually or online

• Drop off for training in office in San Luis Obispo as needed

• Participate in outings and training sessions with trainers (min. 2/month). These are in-person and out about in town.

• Complete weekly Puppy Raiser updates via our online portal

• Follow the training curriculum and guidelines

• Practice consistent training and socialization at home and in public

• Ability to lift and carry 50lbs

*Optional: co-raise with another volunteer*

This volunteer position is crucial to our mission of providing service dogs to veterans and first responders with PTSD. 

Volunteer at Son Care Foundation's 40-acre ranch, completing a wide variety of maintenance tasks. Help with minor construction, plumbing, landscaping, fabricating, painting, electrical, and many other projects. We welcome all skill levels and will let you choose from a variety of projects. 

This is an excellent opportunity for an individual who is completing the required hours.