Training Service Dogs for People with Disabilities

I started training service dogs for people with disabilities about 5 years ago. I got started doing it, as a result of being bored with conventional dog training and the fact that I knew so many people with disabilities who needed service dogs. I decided that I could help. I have placed about ten dogs as service dogs in the last two years, plus at least that many therapy dogs.

I have been wanting to expand my program and become and honest to goodness nonprofit org, but it is so hard! The paperwork is horrible, the cost is over a thousand dollars and sometimes you have to keep reworking the paperwork to get it all right. I have been looking for a fiscal sponsor for the last two years. I think I have finally found one! This means that I can apply for grants to build the training center that I need so badly, fundraise and take donations. I can even approach companies like Walmarts and PetsMarts now, for donations of dog food. I am so excited. The dog training is so expensive. We were spending nearly $150 per month on heartworm last year, and the dog food was nearly $200 per motnh, as you don't feed service dogs cheap food. They must have good nutrition to support the intense work that they often do. We had about ten dogs in training at one time.

Daily, I receive emails and phone calls from parents of children in need, adults with MD, MS, severe epilepsy, heart problems, seizure disorders, clinical depression, and a wide array of other illnesses, diseases, sydromes and physical conditions that make them desperately need a service dog.

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