The sun is out and the tails are wagging!
We are excited to tell you all about Atlas’ summer updates. Meet two new Atlas board members who joined the team, help us congratulate our new Atlas Certified Trainer as well as a new cohort of Team Facilitators who just completed their training. Learn about some new exciting course offerings, and of course, do not miss your puppy updates for our Assistance Dogs Set in Motion pups: Lottie and Cal!
Meet our Newest Certified Trainer
A great big congratulations to Maureen on completing our Trainer Academy! We are very proud to call Maureen an Atlas Certified Trainer as she has dedicated much time and effort to completing the academy and shown great passion through her work.
She is also one of our Team Facilitator Leads. Maureen shares the following about her experience going through the Academy:
“I was certainly challenged while doing Atlas’ Assistance Dogs Certified Trainer Program! I am a firm believer that if you quit learning, you stagnate. As a person who has been training assistance dogs for multiple years, I wanted more knowledge and tools as I began my own Owner Trained Assistance Dog Program in Colorado, Atlas’ program fit the bill. Everyone was willing to help me through my struggles and I feel that Atlas will be there for me and my clients for years to come.”
Check out her bio here!
#CalsJourney and #LottiesJourney Updates
Can you believe that Lottie is already 8 months old!? With her puppy raiser, Laura, she is continuing to make great strides. As she matures, she is getting exposed to more challenging environments such as malls, grocery stores, and all the novelties that go with. She is a people lover and has been working on getting less excited during greetings, she’s making great progress! In just a few months, she will be ready to meet her person where they will begin their training journey together.
Cal is doing great as well! He spent his first few weeks with Shelly, an Atlas puppy raiser over in Georgia. He then flew across the country and is now spending the rest of his foundation training time with puppy raiser Sue and her pet dog Milo over in Washington. At 15 weeks, this lab is quite the rambunctious ball of energy. He is developing some important foundations and getting exposure to lots of sounds, various household items, and people to help build him up to the more complex environments and skills needed for a service dog. We are excited to see him grow and continue to learn.
| Cal does not yet have a future client. We currently have partial funding for a veteran who would benefit from a service dog through our Assistance Dogs Set in Motion program. Please contact us if you or someone you know want to find out about the financial aid we can provide and to learn more about the program. Cal could become your dog! |
Summer time means big thunderstorms in some parts of the country, it also means fireworks! Many other loud sounds can be scary to dogs. For a service dog, it is crucial to be comfortable around all kinds of loud and sudden noises. Here, Cal’s first puppy raiser is using play and food to create a positive experience during a thunderstorm.
New Team Facilitators – New Available Locations!
Last month, a new cohort of 9 amazing Team Facilitators completed their training. Thanks to them, we can support clients in even more locations! New areas where we can support disabled individuals train their own service dog include:
Ponoma CA, Snellville GA, St George UT, Lemoyne PA, Wake Forest NC
We also continue to serve many other locations, including the greater Seattle WA area, Portland OR, Denver CO, Manheim PA, Brownstown IN, greater Durham NC area, and more! Learn about our Client Certification program or contact us for more information.
Welcome Tara and Vicky
We are excited to have recently welcomed two new members to our board of directors, Vicky and Tara. Both come to us with great passion and expertise. We could not be more thrilled to have these two wonderful women join the team and continue to help Atlas grow and improve!
Vicky is a communications professional and life-long learner who has a strong desire to serve. As an experienced editor, writer, and public speaker, she is excited about the opportunity to join others in spreading the word about Atlas’ programs to help more people lead more satisfying lives.
Tara is a curious rebel, award-winning author, and obsessed with all things branding. Storytelling is her superpower. Tara is proudly neurodivergent, and she does what she can to advocate for others with disabilities and neurodifferences, which is what brought her to Atlas Assistance Dogs.
We need volunteers! We are looking for passionate people with expertise and willingness to help in a variety of areas such as website management and SEO, content creation, administrative tasks, outreach and public relations, and so much more. Volunteers can be anywhere in the world. Must be at least 18 years old.
Board Members: We are looking for a couple of people to join our board. Key expertise areas of leadership needed include fund development, public relations, advertising, and general nonprofit leadership experience. We are a working board in our 6th year. This is a great time to come in and make an impact! Contact us for more details.
NEW Specialty Courses! We are pleased and excited to let you know that we are now offering some of our Academy courses as individual packages. Learn about the traits to look for when selecting a service dog candidate, or take our foundations service dog training course with optional add-ons for mobility, medical, or psychiatric task training. We also offer a diabetes and medical scent detection course. Find out more!
Blogs! July was Disability Pride month, and celebrated the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Read our blog and learn about the ADA, its history, and how it affects service dog handlers and disabled people today.
These summer months are HOT. Check out these tips to help keep your dog cool and safe in this summer heat.