There is no legal standard to qualify someone to train service dogs.
This is a problem.
It means that when someone charges you money for their help in training a service dog for you, it is buyer beware.
It’s up to you to check their education, their credentials, their knowledge, and experience. We wish that were not the case. But it is. For our part, here are the principles which guide us and our mission:
Formal Education
We expect our staff to be formally educated. While hands-on experience is a wonderful and irreplaceable teacher, formal education expands the understanding and context of that experience. All staff hold degrees or diplomas from post-secondary institutions and have credentials from respected regulatory bodies.
Disability And Trauma-Informed Care
We believe that service dogs must be trained with their person’s disability in mind. The equipment used, the training style, and the techniques must be tailored to fit the individual needs of both the human and the dog. Those who help people with disabilities must be knowledgeable about those disabilities. We expect our staff to maintain an understanding of each client’s condition, unique circumstances, and necessary accommodations.
The dog does not need to walk on the left if their human needs the dog to be on the right. The dog does not need to use a harness if the human cannot clip the straps together. We will help you find what works for you, with your dog, and meets your needs.
Many of our clients have PTSD or C-PTSD either as a primary diagnosis or as secondary trauma from living with disability in an ableist world. Our staff are dedicated to helping clients to feel empowered and supported. We do not wish to add to your trauma burden.
Animal Agency and Consent
There are some trainers who justify forceful tools for the sake of human safety or saving the dog from euthanasia. These arguments do not apply to service dogs. There is zero reason for a dog being coerced or forced into assisting us. Dogs do not get to choose who they live with, what their lifestyle will be, or what will be asked of them. No being should never be made into a piece of disability equipment against their will.
We will only work with those who want to work with us. Animals who communicate clearly that they want to leave the training space, do not wish to do what is being asked of them, or who show signs of stress and discomfort will be listened to.
No dog has to be a medical aid.
Further reading on animal welfare in the service dog industry can be found here and here.
Honesty and Integrity
No, we will not write a letter to your airline claiming that your dog is one of our graduates. No, not even for that sum of money.
We will never insist that employee or volunteer to do anything they do not feel comfortable with. Employees, volunteers, and clients alike are encouraged to discuss ethics openly and with an attitude of continual self-improvement.
LGBTQIA2S+ Safe