Pawsitive Pawsibilities seeks to maximize the benefit each dog brings to his or her new owner. In order to do this, we begin the search for the dog after we agree to help the participant. This allows us to seek a dog of specific size, breed and personality to be a perfect match for his new job. Likewise, we choose a trainer that can work with each individual dog and human team. In other words, instead of just matching a dog to a recipient, we assemble and create a “pawsitive” team!
Pawsitive Pawsibilities has worked with a variety of trainers. ProTeams in San Marcos, CA trained Tabitha’s personal service dog, Sunny. They specialize in training mobility assistance dogs as well as a variety of other obedience functions. Sunny “holds Tabitha’s hand” all day, helping her to balance and walk independently, without assistance. He can also retrieve her homework off her printer or help her pick up her clothes or keys. His devotion over the last 5 years as granted her independence and helped her dramatically improve her strength.
Many of our recipients received their custom-trained service dogs by CommuniCanine, in Sandy UT. By choosing a local trainer, these families are able to have continued follow-up as their needs change and various challenges present themselves. Diabetic Alert Dogs of America has trained one of our young recipient’s dogs to alert her when her blood sugar increases or decreases. Our eleventh placement is trained by Michael Burkel with DBA Stoney Mountain K9, in Arizona.
Pawsitive Pawsibilities has also paired with non-profits in the past and provided the funds for our recipients to pay the placement fees, which can be unattainable to families which are dealing with chronic illnesses. Our small size has allowed us to be flexible as we seek to match our participants with the best dog for them. Our flexibility allows us to maximize the use of our funds; 100% of donated funds are used to acquire and train our dogs. All administrative services are donated.
