Help us make anything "pawsable"

Dogs have carried the title as man’s best friend for a long time. They are lovable, loyal, and can provide the gift of independence to their handler. Aside from providing companionship, love, and a fur ever friend, dogs can provide assistance in many forms through therapy and service work. Assistance dogs can aid in daily tasks and help to relieve stress and anxiety. These trained canines help to boost self-esteem and bring comfort to their owner.

"Anything is Pawsable" will train dogs starting as puppies to assist individuals with disabilities, while helping to improve the handler’s quality of life. Below is a list of a few common reasons why assistance dogs are needed:

• PTSD
• Stress & Anxiety Disorders
• Medical Alert
  

So far, we have raised, trained, and placed four puppies into loving homes where they are providing assistance in different forms. Each of these puppies were generously donated to us and we so much appreciate the breeders who brought us these amazing gifts. All four of these puppies were then donated to their new families at no cost to them. We do accept donations in the form of puppies at times, as long as they have appropriate temperaments or breed characteristics for the work they will be doing. We are beginning to breed and raise our own puppies at K9to5 in our "Pawsatively Perfect Poodles and Doodles" Program. All three of our current dogs for this program have fantastic temperaments for service work, which will help guarantee success from their puppies in the future. 

Service dogs can be incredibly expensive because they can take months, or even years of extensive training. They not only have to master their commands, but be well socialized with other dogs and people. We work towards getting our future service puppies to pass their Canine Good Citizens Test, which is the gold standard for good behavior in dogs. We are CGC evaluators here at K9to5 and take studying and perfecting animal behavior very seriously. Our staff has years of experience working with and training dogs of all breeds and personalities. 

Basic manners are the first thing we start training each of our dogs, we also expose them to loud noises, different people, and so many dogs to ensure proper socialization. Afterwards, the training for each individual service dog to be is catered to what the family is looking for. Different tasks that service dogs can be trained to do are things such as:

• Retrieval - retrieval can be taught for many different objects, for so many different reasons. whether it be fetching a phone to call for help, bringing clothing, mobility aids (canes, walkers, wheelchairs), food / drinks, or other items to someone who is unable to physically get them for themselves, or retrieving emergency medication during medical emergencies, service dogs can be a great help. 

• Alert -  dogs can be trained to alert their owner to physiological or psychologic changes such as high / low blood pressure, seizures, panic attacks, dissociation, syncope episodes, etc. service dogs can also alert their handler to noises including other people calling / crying, alarms, doorbells / knocking, ringing phones, and cars. they can also alert their owners to take their medication, when people are approaching in public places, intruders, allergens, and many routine tasks that some people may forget.

• Deep Pressure Therapy - this is a dog using their body weight to ease psychiatric stress, acting as a sort of weighted blanket. this service relaxes the owner and re-engages them with their surroundings during panic attacks, depressive episodes, flashbacks, etc. dogs can be trained to recognize the signs, or learn a command word to trigger their reaction to their handler. Similar to DPT would be tactile simulation via nudging or licking to revert handlers attention to the dog rather than the issue at hand. 

• Behavior Interruption  - another common task that service dogs can offer to assist their handler is to interrupt self destructive or negative behavior. these are actions including crying, dissociation, flashbacks, self harm, panic / anxiety attacks, incessant scratching or skin picking. 

• Getting Help - there are many ways assistance dogs can be trained to get help. they can be taught to alert by barking, nudging, circling, ringing bells, etc. they can be trained to seek a certain person, stranger, or phone for emergency help. 

• Miscellaneous Tasks 
  • Opening / Closing Doors, Drawers, Refrigerators, Dishwashers, Cabinets by pushing buttons or pulling a tug
  • Turning Lights On / Off
  • Helping to Remove Clothing
  • Blocking Handler from Crowds
  • Carrying Items

Janet Keenan:  "We are so overwhelmed by the generosity of this gift! Tucker will be Abby’s best friend and will be loved every day of his life."