Atlas' December 2022 Updates

2022 is Coming to an End

2022 has been an exciting year of growth and accomplishments for Atlas. From seeing great success in our clients and trainers, to becoming a candidate program with Assistance Dogs International, so much of what we have done has been made possible thanks to the many incredible people who support and believe in us. Keep reading to review what this past year was like for Atlas and what some of our ongoing goals for 2023 are.
Four service dogs are lying on a sunlit pavement. Each dog is wearing a harness with colorful vests: two are white, one brown, and one black. They appear relaxed and alert, surrounded by greenery and flowers in planters.

A Year at a Glance

Infographic titled Atlas Assistance Dogs 2022 with illustrations of dogs and people. Highlights include increases in service dog teams, certified trainers, and team facilitators, international candidacy, geographical expansion, puppy for veteran, and 73 volunteers.

Our Clients

This year, we helped more people than ever before thrive with a service dog at their side. Thanks to the new Team Facilitators we trained, we were able to open up our services to several new locations and expand the support and access needed for people to train and benefit from a life-changing service dog.
Five women stand side by side, each with a dog on a leash. The scene is set outdoors with trees and greenery in the background. Each woman smiles at the camera, and the dogs appear attentive and calm.

We also began offering in-person get togethers for our Seattle, WA area clients and Team Facilitators and we hope to begin offering similar meet-ups in other locations. It has been truly incredible to watch clients of all ages, in different stages of training, with different dog breeds, and of varying disabilities, train together and develop supportive friendships.

In the year to come, we want to continue expanding the resources available in our current locations in order to help even more clients and offer them community support. We also want to help offset the cost of training for people who may need more financial assistance for our program through scholarship funds. This would significantly help more people access training for the service dog that could change their life.

Conferences and Events

As the world has been opening back up, it has been such a joy to begin attending conferences and events again. This year we got to meet many incredible people at places such as Abilities Expo in Los Angeles, CA, the Association of Professional Dog Trainers conference in Daytona Beach, FL, and at events with Growing Veterans, Brain Injury Alliance of Washington and the Epilepsy Foundation of Washington.

Three people stand under a blue canopy tent with four service dogs. Two women and an older man with a long white beard smile at the camera. The dogs are wearing blue service vests. A table displays information with a banner reading ATL.
Through these events, we spread awareness about service dogs, disabilities, and the importance of accessibility in dog training. We look forward to attending more conferences and events in 2023 in order to continue raising awareness and letting more people know how important service dogs are for disabled people.

Raising a Future Service Dog

Thanks to a very generous donor and grant funds received this year, we have been raising Cal, a puppy who will soon be transferring to his person, Amy. Amy is a veteran who will continue training Cal as her service dog through our Client Certification program once he joins her at home. Cal, now 10 months old continues to make great progress in his training. We can’t wait to see where these two will go together in the coming months.
A chocolate lab puppy lies on a textured carpet, gently holding a small stuffed toy lamb in its mouth. The puppy looks up with soft, curious eyes, positioned near the wooden leg of a rocking chair.
A Labrador puppy wearing a blue In Training vest is lying on the grass next to a metal water bowl. Various training items are visible in the background.
A person sits cross-legged on grass, wearing a tan jacket and jeans, looking down at a black dog lying beside them. They are in a yard with a pathway and flower bed in the background.
A chocolate Labrador wearing a turquoise vest stands on a gray floor inside an enclosure. Its mouth is open, showing a playful expression. A blue ball is visible in the background.

Assistance Dogs International

A MAJOR accomplishment for us this year was that we became a candidate program with Assistance Dogs International (ADI). This is the first crucial step in becoming a fully accredited ADI organization, which we will be able to apply for after a minimum of two years. Becoming an ADI accredited organization has been a goal of ours from day one and we will spend the next two years ensuring that we meet all of ADI’s standards in order to accomplish this goal. Becoming an ADI organization will open up many doors for our clients when traveling internationally, will allow us to better support disabled veterans and active-duty military people, and increase access to more funding sources to help us serve even more people. Read more about ADI and what it means for us here.

Why Your Help Matters

Access to service dogs can be incredibly difficult for many disabled people. Yet, so many individuals could have their lives fundamentally changed for the better with a service dog at their side. This year, our services have helped more people access and benefit from a life-changing service dog. This was made possible thanks to our generous donors and dedicated volunteers. We cannot thank you enough!

The work we do would simply not be possible without your help. As we head into a new year, we are immensely grateful for your support. With your help, we can continue supporting the many people whose lives will be drastically changed with a well-trained service dog at their side. 

Donate Today
A smiling woman with short hair is sitting on a sofa, resting her chin on a fluffy white dog. The dog has its tongue out and is wearing a blue vest. Theres a window and a small plant in the background.
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