Dogs For Disabled (Greenville, South Carolina 29610) was founded in 1991. Since that time, Dogs For Disabled has provided service dogs, companion dogs, hearing assistance dogs, assistive search alert dogs, public education, and trainer education in a broad variety of situations. For the last few years, Dogs For Disabled has been in a phase of research and reorganization that is now nearing completion. Before the end of 2006, it hopes to announce the beginning of a comprehensive apprentice trainer program that will serve as the foundation for all service dogs trained through its program.
Dogs For Disabled’s primary areas of concern for the future are:
1) General public education about service dogs, through all possible mediums.
2) Education for trainers: development of an apprenticeship and certification program to assist in the growing nationwide need for qualified, experienced, independent trainers. The goal is to establish knowledgeable, qualified trainers to help people with disabilities in as many locations around the country as possible.
3) Assistive search alert dogs: continued development of a specialized type of service dog intended for team use by caregivers for the benefit of dependents with mental disabilities. Thus far, the ASA dogs have been of particular significance in use with autistic children.
