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We
recognize the need to fill a specific niche in the area
of Service Dog Training. While large organizations do a
superb job of providing Service Dogs for many people
(sometimes at a reasonable price), there are some unique
situations that are often overlooked.
Few
organizations allow a client to train their own,
personal dog, under the guidance of a professional dog
trainer. Most prefer or require that they provide the
dog.
Few
organizations specialize in training dogs for
Psychiatric Disabilities (PTSD, Panic Disorder etc…).
Few organizations offer trained, Emotional Support Dogs
(those that are paired with people who do not quality
under the ADA as legally disabled, but who still can be
significantly assisted by the companionship of a highly
trained dog).
Few
organizations provide a chance for the Owner to
significantly participate in the training of the dog,
from the very basics, with assistance from a
professional trainer. Instead, they bring the client
into the picture once the dog is fully trained and then
train the new owner to handle the dog.
Many
organizations have very long waiting lists which can
make acquisition of a Service Dog too far out of reach
for some people with some disabilities.
Many
organizations charge fairly to seriously high rates for
trained Service Dogs. Even with those that advertise
their dogs are “free”, the new owner is often required
to pay for room/board and instructional materials
sometimes for a month or more. These expenses can make
it cost prohibitive to acquire a trained Service dog.
Often,
these requirements make perfect sense and are
appropriate and necessary. However, some folks,
especially those that require a highly social and
extremely obedient “street ready” dog, but not one that
must perform highly complex tasks, are left out of the
equation.
While there
are very valid reasons that client-owned dogs are not
permitted into a training program, some pet dogs can
become exceptional Service Animals. While many, perhaps
most personal pet dogs will not fit the bill, with the
appropriate education and when the owner receives
exceptional instruction in training and maintaining a
Service Dog, it can be a viable option.
Although
using a Service Dog can seem to be a romantic solution
to overcome a seemingly disastrous condition, many
disabled people are simply far better served with
non-canine alternatives to mitigate their disability.
So, it is unfortunate when they go through the process
of acquiring a dog to find out that they are simply not
equipped to provide the maintenance that is required to
own and use a Service Dog.
Our process
offers people with disabilities the opportunity to “try
out” working with their own dog in order to assess
whether the dog is an appropriate candidate and to allow
the client to decide whether using any dog (even a
highly trained one) is the appropriate solution to their
disability.
There are
advantages of participating at the very core level of
training. Since any Service Dog requires constant
upkeep to support the dog's high level of training
(regardless of who trained it), learning how the dog was
taught from the very beginning can facilitate this
routine maintenance. For some people with disabilities,
especially those whose "productivity" has decreased
leading to bouts of depression, the activity and
responsibility of teaching the dog can promote
therapeutic benefits.
We offer an
alternative that is not meant to supersede or compete
with the large, organizations that offer Service Dogs to
the disabled. It is designed to fill the gap that
exists in the supply of Service Dogs. It takes advantage
of our own specialized approach to dog & human education
to offer another option for people who want to acquire a
specific dog as their own Service Dog or who would like
to train their own, personal dog to help mitigate their
disability. This can be especially valuable for
personal dogs that have learned to “alert” their owners
to medical issues simply because of the close bond the
dog shares with the human (for example, dogs that can
detect when its owner should take time-critical doses of
prescription medicines), a skill that may not be
developed in an "organization" trained dog.
Our program
is specifically designed for people who have the
capacity to train their own dog under the guidance of
professional trainers. Therefore, it requires that
candidates are highly cognizant of the rigors,
responsibilities and commitment it takes to first train
and then maintain a dog at the standard of Assistance
Dog.
This is a
serious venture, not to be taken lightly. Currently,
there is no national Service Dog accreditation program
for Service Dogs in the USA. That can be a very good
thing so long as people do not take unworthy dogs into
public which then cause problems. It puts the
responsibility of making certain only “Street Ready”
dogs don the Service Dog cape in the hands of the
disabled person. The level of responsibility that is
needed to actually own and handle a Service Dog cannot
be overstated. When one person’s Service Dog acts
inappropriately in public it makes it more difficult for
anyone’s Service Dog to be accepted by society, in
general. Our Phase Two course culminates in a
lengthy Public Access Test which requires the dog and
handler to demonstrate their competence in a variety of
public settings, including a restaurant, shopping center
and public park. |
