It’s a big responsibility raising a future assistance dog, but knowing they’re going on to change someone’s life makes it all worthwhile.
At just 24 years old, Charleigh has helped raise four future assistance dogs as a Puppy Training Volunteer with Canine Partners.
While she’s taken on a variety of volunteering opportunities over the years, raising puppies has been at the centre of her journey. Along the way, the experience has given her far more than she expected, building confidence, resilience and friendships, while helping disabled people gain greater independence.
Following in her mum’s footsteps
For as long as she can remember, Charleigh has loved dogs.
“I was always the child asking if I could go and say hello to a dog,” she laughs.
Growing up around her mum’s volunteering gave her an early appreciation of the role assistance dogs play and the difference they make to disabled people and their families. After moving to Chichester in 2020, she discovered Canine Partners and decided it was time to follow in her mum’s footsteps.
Following an initial home visit in December, Charleigh welcomed her first puppy trainee, Davey, a black Labrador, in January 2021.
Since then, she has raised Fletcher, Winstone and now Monty, her current puppy trainee. Alongside this, she has fostered several other dogs short-term, and supported the charity’s puppy programme whenever she could.
What began as a lifelong love of dogs quickly became a passion for Puppy Training Volunteering.
Balancing puppies, university and life
When Charleigh began volunteering, she was also studying Veterinary Physiotherapy at university.
Many people assume raising a future assistance dog would be impossible alongside a degree. Charleigh’s experience proves otherwise.
The puppies quickly became part of everyday life. Even during stressful periods, including completing her dissertation, the dogs provided companionship, routine, and a welcome distraction.
“My dissertation was one of the toughest periods, but having a puppy asleep at my feet while I worked made such a difference.”
While she studied an animal-related subject, Charleigh is keen to stress that Puppy Training Volunteering isn’t only for people pursuing animal careers.
“It doesn’t matter what you’re studying or what job you do. If you’re willing to put the time in and learn, anyone can do it.”
Because of the practical nature of her course, some of the dogs joined her at university from time to time, gaining valuable socialisation experiences while becoming popular additions to lectures and placements.
All the dogs were such an important part of her university experience that Winstone even attended her graduation from the Royal Agricultural University.
Growing confidence, one puppy at a time
While the puppies were learning the skills they needed for their future careers as assistance dogs, Charleigh was developing new skills of her own.
One of the biggest changes has been her confidence.
“Canine Partners has pushed me in ways I never thought I’d be pushed.”
Public speaking was something she once dreaded. But through volunteering and fundraising, Charleigh found herself speaking at events, sharing her experiences, and helping others understand the impact of assistance dogs.
Most recently, she attended a race day with touring car driver Tom Ingram as a Grid Ambassador, raising awareness of Canine Partners and the difference assistance dogs make to disabled people.
“I used to hate public speaking. Now I’ve given presentations and spoken to groups of people. You learn how to explain what these dogs do and why their work matters.”
The dogs themselves have often helped make those conversations easier.
“I feel much more confident when I have a puppy with me. People naturally want to talk to you and start conversations.”
Those communication skills and newfound confidence continue to benefit Charleigh as she develops her professional career.
More than volunteering
For Charleigh, volunteering has never just been about dogs.
It’s also been about learning resilience.
One of the most common questions Puppy Training Volunteers are asked is how they cope when it’s time for their puppy to move on.
The answer is simple.
“You cry. Everybody cries.”
Yet despite the emotion, Charleigh believes there is something incredibly valuable about the experience.
From the beginning, volunteers understand that the puppy isn’t theirs to keep. Their role is to prepare them for the next stage of their journey and the difference they will go on to make for a disabled person.
She believes the experience can be particularly valuable for families and young people.
“It teaches resilience in a really supportive way. For young people especially, it’s one of the first experiences of loving something deeply and then letting it go. It’s not the same as losing someone, but it helps you learn how to cope with change, process those emotions, and understand that goodbyes can be part of something positive. Knowing the dog is going on to make a huge difference to somebody’s life makes it easier.”
That perspective helps make every goodbye worthwhile.
“You learn that loving something doesn’t always mean keeping it. The puppy has a bigger job to do.”
Finding a community
When Charleigh first joined Canine Partners, she was the youngest volunteer in her area, she still is! And at times worried she might not fit in.
Instead, she found a welcoming and supportive community.
“None of my friends my age really understood it, but the Canine Partners community did.”
Over the years, those connections have become one of the most rewarding aspects of volunteering.
“It’s never just you and the dog. There’s a whole community around you.”
Today, Charleigh regularly sees fellow volunteers, fundraisers and staff members, creating friendships built around a shared purpose.
“It’s become a huge part of my life.”
Celebrating Winstone’s success
Among all the dogs Charleigh has helped raise, Winstone holds a particularly special place in her heart.
Together they achieved something remarkable when Winstone became the first Canine Partners puppy to achieve the APDT Award (Advanced) before progressing to Advanced Dog Training (ADT) at our National Training Centre.
The award recognises an exceptional standard of training, behaviour and obedience, reflecting the dedication of both dog and volunteer.
“Winstone was amazing,” says Charleigh. “Everything he achieved was a reflection of the support, training and teamwork behind him.”
The achievement was especially meaningful because awards play an important role in every volunteer’s journey.
“The awards give you something tangible to hold onto and something to work towards. They’re recognition for the dog and the volunteer, as well as a timescale of how long you have left of the journey with each dog.
When a puppy eventually moves on, those milestones become lasting reminders of everything that was accomplished together.
They’re a celebration of the journey you’ve been on.”
Looking ahead
Today, Charleigh is raising Monty while building her career as a Veterinary Physiotherapist and continuing her fundraising for Canine Partners.
What keeps her coming back is knowing that every puppy has the potential to make a lasting difference to someone’s independence and quality of life.
“Every puppy teaches you something new. It’s a big commitment, but it’s an incredible experience. You’re helping raise a dog that will go on to support someone in ways many people never see, and along the way it changes you too.”
For Charleigh, volunteering has been about far more than raising puppies. It’s helped her build confidence, develop resilience, form lasting friendships and discover opportunities she never expected when she first followed in her mum’s footsteps.
And six years on, she continues to play her part in changing lives — one puppy at a time.