I grew up in Wisconsin until sixth grade, when I moved to Texas and was introduced to the service dog world by Amanda Pratt from Scout’s Legacy Service Dogs.
After realizing I was looking to get a service dog, I started doing research and trying to figure out just what kind of life change I was committing to. I couldn’t find anything that told me that, and proceeded to blunder my way through three false starts with the help of Amanda.
Having gotten frustrated by the lack of information out there for what getting a service dog changes, I took it on myself to write the book I wish I’d been able to find, complete with advice from trainers, responsible service dog breeders, handlers, and families.
Start your service dog journey with a road map and information I wish I had — get the book, here!
The service dog journey is hard enough on its own. Going through it alone only makes it harder. No one should have to do that — training a service dog requires a team behind you. The team should be made up of:
A service dog doula, when done right, can be both someone to tell you the hard things (such as “talk to your trainer,” “he’s playing you,” or “go play with your pet dog — don’t make him be a service dog, right now — just a pet.) and a friend who has been there, before.
Someone who’s your friend and able to commiserate, comfort, and tell you the hard thing is someone that it is integral to have on your team. For me, the friends who have been through it before and person who told me the hard things were separate. Both were important, but when the person giving you tough love has also been there, before, it adds a whole new dimension to what they tell you.