No better time to play in the leaves
Enjoy the changing fall colors while getting your Atlas Assistance Dogs updates. We have teams to celebrate, awareness to spread, and people to thank. Keep on reading!
Congratulations Juliette and Elwood
A big congratulations to team Juliette and Elwood who successfully completed their Public Access Test and are now an Atlas Certified Team!
Juliette has worked extremely hard to train Elwood and we are incredibly proud of this pair. And a great big thank you to Juliette’s Team Facilitators for all their support as they helped Juliette and Elwood on their journey together.
Association for Professional Dog Trainers Conference
Last month, Atlas attended APDT’s annual conference in Covington, KY. We had a great time meeting many new dog professionals and enthusiasts as well as seeing some familiar faces.
If we were lucky enough to meet you, we’d love to hear from you and answer any of your questions. Don’t forget to check out our Trainer Academy to get a head start on your journey as a service dog trainer!
Teams Set in Motion
As the cold sets in, there is no better time for fun indoor training activities with your dog. Our Teams Set in Motion online course offers plenty of exercises, games, and skills that you can practice in the comfort of your cozy home. Set your dog up for success with Teams Set in Motion! Dogs of all ages and handlers of all skill levels welcome.
Epilepsy and Diabetes Awareness Month
November is both Epilepsy and Diabetes Awareness Month. Do you know how service dogs can help people living with epilepsy and diabetes?
Seizure response/alert dogs:
Dogs can provide many tasks that will help keep their person safe during and after a seizure:
- Move the person onto their side
- Go alert someone that a seizure is happening
- Bring their person medication
- Provide grounding tasks after the seizure to help the person recover
Some dogs, not all, can even alert their person to the onset of a seizure before it occurs, giving their handler enough time to find a place to lay down or call someone for help.
Diabetes Alert Dogs:
Similar to the tasks that a seizure response/alert dog, a dog can be trained for many tasks that will help their handler with diabetes.
- Alert to high or low blood sugar (often before the person’s glucose monitor picks it up)
- Retrieve medication, food or water
- Go alert someone if their person is in need
For many people with diabetes or seizure disorders, a service dog provides them with a great sense of safety to go about their every day life independently.
Thank You!
As the end of the year approaches we would like to thank anyone who has made a Pawsitive Impact for disabled people and the service dog community.
We have a special thank you to give out to Stephanie Ip, currently going through our Trainer Academy who raised $1,500 for Atlas in honor of her boyfriend, Gary Chen who unexpectedly passed away from an epileptic seizure in his sleep five years ago, at 21 years old.
“An autopsy was not performed but we believe he suffocated while having a seizure and never woke up. I strongly believe a medical alert dog would have saved his life. As a positive reinforcement dog trainer myself, I know how imperative positive and ethical training is (and how there needs to be more of it in the service dog realm!) so it was very important for me to support an organization such as Atlas Assistance Dogs with the same ideals to help improve and save lives.” -Stephanie
We are grateful for Stephanie’s fundraising efforts and for everyone who contributed to her Instagram campaign.
Service dogs do save lives, and we strive for more people to be able to obtain one.
Our work is made possible thanks to the generosity of donors like you who have the ability to make a Pawsitive Impact.
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