Atlas, and we are excited to tell you all about it. Keep reading to learn about past and upcoming events, special offerings, celebrate newAtlas Certified Trainers, and don’t miss our latest blogs!
Five dogs wearing blue and teal service vests sit on a grass patch beside a concrete path. There are two golden-colored dogs, two black dogs, and one chocolate brown dog. Bushes are in the background.

Oregon/Washington Atlas Picnic

Being a national organization means that our staff, clients, trainers, and volunteers as a whole mostly only get to connect virtually. Community is so important to us and we continuously try to expand ways for Atlas constituents to get to meet in person. When we found out that Laura, Atlas‘ amazing administrative assistant, was traveling to Washington from the East Coast, we knew it was the perfect opportunity for a larger Atlas get-together. 

A group of people sitting on patio steps with various dogs. The scene is in front of a house with white pillars and hanging flower baskets. Everyone is smiling, enjoying a sunny day, with green plants in the foreground.
A group of people stand outdoors on grass with a brown horse and a chocolate labrador on a leash. The dog looks up at the horse. A car is parked nearby, and trees are in the background.
A group of people and a tan horse stand on a grassy lawn. One person pets a large, curly-haired black dog wearing a blue outfit. In the background, trees and more people are visible under a partly cloudy sky.

This Oregon/Washington meet-up was graciously hosted by one of of our clients, on her beautiful farm. She even brought out her dog-social horse which gave a wonderful opportunity for some training and socialization to the service dogs, service dogs in-training, and pet dogs who were present. We were thrilled for this unique opportunity to gather together and can’t wait for the next time!

Raise a Pint for Service Dogs

Thank you to everyone who joined us last month for our Raise a Pint for Service Dogs fundraising event! Thanks to you, we raised over $3,000, which will directly help more people access training and benefit from a life-changing service dog.
More than anything, we loved having our amazing Atlas community come together for the event. Service dog handlers can sometimes feel isolated and don’t always get an opportunity to meet others that can relate to their experiences. This is why having a community of handlers, trainers, and passionate volunteers is so important to all of us at Atlas!

Special thank you to Old Stove Brewery for hosting us and to everyone who donated prizes for our raffle!

Two women smiling with a black poodle. The younger woman in an orange shirt stands while the older woman, also in orange, sits on a wooden bench, wearing sunglasses and a hat. Theyre outside near a wooden structure with red umbrellas.
Two smiling people sit at a table under a tent with an ATLAS Assistance Dogs banner. Displays and brochures are on the table. Both are wearing orange T-shirts. People are visible in the background at a wooden picnic area.

Congratulations To Our New Atlas Certified Trainers

We are thrilled to have two more trainers graduate from our Academy and become Atlas Certified Trainers. Both have worked incredibly hard to achieve Atlas Trainer Certification. To find out more about them and their areas of expertise, just click on their names.

A person with curly hair sits on the floor, smiling and holding a blue ball, while two large dogs nuzzle them. The background features wooden walls, creating a cozy atmosphere.

All the way in Brazil, Adriana is our very first Atlas Certified Trainer outside of North America. Adriana tells us that she has a dream: “to help improve the autonomy of Brazilian people with disabilities by training assistance dogs, particularly for autistic and other neurodiverse people, as well as for medical alert and medical response.” Adriana put an enormous amount of time and effort into her coursework, with the added challenge of going through it in her non-native language.

A smiling person stands on a path with green foliage and yellow flowers in the background. They are wearing a blue T-shirt with a dog print and jeans. A happy golden retriever on a leash sits next to them.

A life-long animal lover, Ariel has over a decade of professional dog training experience, as well as personal experience as a service dog handler. She has found a passion in working with both reactive dogs as well as service dogs. As a trainer, she loves helping her clients form a partnership with their dogs and improve their daily lives. Big congratulations to Ariel on her hard work and accomplishments in becoming an Atlas Certified Trainer!

Benefits of Service Dogs for Tourette Syndrome

Back in May, we had the pleasure of attending Tic Con, a conference hosted by the Tourette Association of America (TAA). There, Atlas President Jen Kolar and one of our amazing Atlas Certified Teams gave a presentation about the benefits of service dogs for individuals with Tourette and other tic disorders. The topic was in high demand, and the TAA asked us to give another presentation virtually that their community would be able to tune into. You can now watch the recording and hear all about how our client’s service dog has impacted her life, what the process of owner-training was like for her, and how a service dog may be beneficial for individuals with Tourette Syndrome or other tic disorders.

A person with long blond hair smiling outdoors, wearing a dark shirt and a light green jacket. The background features a body of water with trees along the shoreline, under an overcast sky.

For the second year in a row, we were thrilled to welcome a summer intern from Princeton University. This year’s intern, Hailey was an absolute joy to work with. She focused on a several important projects. In this blog, read about her experience as an Atlas intern. Make sure to also check out the internally linked blog that she wrote on neurodiversity. 
Read here>>

A dog rests on an airplane floor, lying across its owners feet. The owner is wearing jeans and brown shoes. The dog appears calm and relaxed under the seat in front.

Have you ever wondered about international travel with a service dog (or pet dog)? The information is scattered and can be hard to parse through. Thanks to Hailey, we have put together an extensive guide, covering laws and regulations in 51 different countries/regions which we hope you will find helpful and informative.
Read here>>

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