Your Weekends Can Change Someone's Life Forever

become a wyoming weekend puppy companion

Open your home. Share your weekends. Help change someone's life forever. 

Some weekends are spent catching up on chores. 

Some are spent relaxing with family and friends. 

And some become part of a story that changes someone's life forever. 

At Paragon Service Dogs, our Weekend Puppy Companion volunteers play one of the most important roles in preparing a puppy for a future of service. 

Every remarkable service dog begins with extraordinary people. 

When you welcome one of our puppies into your home every other weekend, you're doing much more than caring for a puppy. You're helping build the confidence, resilience, and life skills that will one day allow that dog to become the trusted partner of someone who is d/Deaf.

This isn't simply puppy sitting. 

It's helping create greater independence, safety, confidence, and connection for another human being.

a truly unique partnership

Paragon's Wyoming Weekend Puppy Companion program is unlike any volunteer opportunity you'll find anywhere else.

During the week, our puppies live and train with dedicated inmate handlers through our PAWS'Abilities Program at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution (WMCI). These remarkable handlers work tirelessly to teach obedience, manners, and service dog foundations while providing the puppies with love, guidance, daily care, structure, and training.

But there are experiences that simply cannot happen within a correctional facility.

To become exceptional service dogs, our puppies also need to experience everyday family life. They need to visit parks, neighborhoods, restaurants, stores, libraries, community events, schools, and countless everyday situations that help them become calm, adaptable, and confident wherever life takes them.

That's where you come in.

As a Wyoming Weekend Puppy Companion, you provide the experiences that complete a puppy's early development. Every outing, every new person, every quiet evening at home, every family gathering, and every adventure helps your puppy become more confident and comfortable navigating the world.

Together, the Weekday Handlers and Wyoming Weekend Puppy Companions create something neither could accomplish alone—a confident, resilient young dog prepared for advanced training and, ultimately, a life-changing partnership.

a year-long journey

Wyoming Weekend Puppy Companions make a meaningful commitment to one puppy's development from beginning to end.

You'll be matched with a playful 3- or 4-month-old puppy and welcome them into your life every other weekend for approximately one year. During that year, you'll watch your puppy grow from an energetic youngster into a confident adolescent preparing for advanced service dog training.

By the time your journey together ends, your puppy will be approximately 15 months old and ready for the next stage of becoming a Paragon Service Dog - Advanced Training.

Your commitment is simple:

• Welcome your puppy into your home every other weekend for approximately one year.
• Include them in your everyday life and activities.
• Introduce them to the people, places, sounds, and experiences that build confidence.
• Encourage them, guide them, and help them become comfortable in the world they'll one day serve.

Over the course of the year, you'll celebrate milestones, laugh through puppy antics, discover their unique personality, and witness an incredible transformation.

The bond you'll build is real.

And while saying goodbye won't be easy, you'll know your weekends helped create an extraordinary service dog ready to change someone's life.

every weekend becomes a learning adventure

You don't need to create elaborate training exercises.

Simply living life together provides the experiences your puppy needs.

Explore the Community

Take your puppy to parks, walking trails, stores, restaurants, libraries, schools, community events, and neighborhoods. Every new place introduces valuable sights, sounds, people, and experiences that help build confidence.

Experience Everyday Home Life

Cooking dinner. Watching a movie. Relaxing on the patio. Having friends over. Running errands.

Ordinary moments become extraordinary learning opportunities as your puppy discovers how to settle calmly and confidently in a family environment.

Build Confidence

Every positive experience helps your puppy become more adaptable, resilient, and comfortable in unfamiliar situations—qualities that every successful service dog needs.

Help Create Independence

Everything you do today helps prepare your puppy to provide greater independence, confidence, safety, and connection for someone who is d/Deaf tomorrow.

no experience necessary

You don't have to be a professional dog trainer to make an incredible difference.

If you love dogs, enjoy learning, and want to make a meaningful impact, you already have the most important qualifications.

We'll teach you everything else.

paragon is with you every step of the way

When you become a Wyoming Weekend Puppy Companion, you become part of the Paragon family.

You are never expected to do this alone.

Paragon provides:

• Comprehensive orientation and initial training.
• Ongoing coaching and support throughout your volunteer experience.
• Access to experienced service dog trainers whenever you need guidance.
• Food, treats, toys, beds, leashes, equipment, and other puppy supplies.
• Complete veterinary care.
• A supportive community of volunteers and staff who are committed to your success.

You bring the love, the commitment, and the willingness to learn.

We'll provide the rest.

what you'll gain

While you're helping change someone else's life, you'll discover this experience changes yours as well.

As a Wyoming Weekend Puppy Companion, you'll:

• Become an essential part of a life-changing mission.
• Help a future service dog reach their full potential.
• Learn about puppy development and positive reinforcement training.
• Gain hands-on experience working with service dogs in training.
• Build lasting friendships with fellow volunteers and Paragon staff.
• Experience the joy, laughter, and unforgettable moments that only raising a puppy can bring.
• Watch your puppy grow into a confident young dog ready to begin advanced training.
• Know that your weekends are helping create greater independence and opportunity for someone else.

The rewards are immeasurable.

your story doesn't end at graduation

One of the most rewarding parts of being a Wyoming Weekend Puppy Companion is watching your puppy fulfill the purpose you've helped prepare them for.

When your puppy graduates as a Paragon Service Dog, you'll be invited to celebrate that incredible milestone. You'll witness the moment your puppy is partnered with the individual whose life they will forever change.

Even after graduation, we'll continue to keep you connected through updates about your dog and the remarkable journey they share with their new partner. You'll have the opportunity to celebrate their successes and see the lasting impact your weekends made possible.

Because once you've helped raise a Paragon puppy, you'll always be part of that dog's story.

And you'll always be part of the Paragon family.

the difference you can make

One weekend may not seem like much.

But weekend after weekend…Walk after walk…Adventure after adventure…Moment after moment…

You help shape a playful puppy into an extraordinary service dog.

Someday, because of the weekends you shared, 

• Someone will hear their smoke alarm.
• Wake to a crying baby.
• Know when someone is calling their name.
• Feel safer walking through the community.
• Experience greater confidence, independence, and connection with the world around them.

That's an extraordinary return on a weekend.