Mike’s Journey: How a Service Dog and a Vision Helped Shape Atlas Assistance Dogs.
At Atlas Assistance Dogs, every story celebrates the powerful bond between people and their service dogs — and our deep commitment to supporting both partners’ well-being. Few stories capture this spirit better than Mike’s. As a founding board member, dedicated advocate, and passionate dog handler, Mike’s journey highlights how service dogs can transform lives and how Atlas strives to make that transformation more accessible.
We sat down with Mike to learn more about his journey with his service dog, Turner, and his inspiring role in helping build Atlas Assistance Dogs from the ground up.
What inspired you to focus on service dogs, and how did your personal experiences influence your journey into this work?
I’ve had severe rheumatoid arthritis for more than 30 years, limiting my mobility and making everyday tasks more difficult. About ten years ago, I was fortunate enough to receive my service dog, Turner, a joyful black lab trained at first to help with basics like picking up things I’d dropped, getting objects from under beds, and helping me get up and down. Over time, though, my condition improved, and Turner was able to help me be more active and go back to hiking, a long a passion of mine. With Turner, I saw firsthand how a service dog can help someone not just survive but thrive with a disability.
While I was lucky enough to get a service dog, I also knew many couldn’t. When I retired, I saw a chance to help more people have their own service dog and experience the profound life changes I found. Along with my daughter and another father-daughter pair, we began work on the foundation for Atlas on my first day of retirement. Nine years later, we have helped many people train their own service dogs. We have clients, trainers, and volunteers in multiple states, and we’ve helped many disabled people know the empowerment and independence a service dog can bring.
I’m also committed to ensuring the well-being of the dogs who help us and the people we serve. Every being deserves respect and kindness. It has been wonderful to watch so many people who share these values come together to shape and nurture Atlas.
How has the work affected you personally?
Atlas is helping many people get service dogs. Most of our clients would not have been able to get a dog without the support of an organization like Atlas. It is wonderful to be part of that.
It also means a lot to me and everyone in Atlas that as we’ve grown, we have held true to our core values, which are consistent with my personal values. Our dogs are trained with kindness and rewards, never aversive methods. We work with our clients in a spirit of partnership and respect. We accept anyone with a disability who can use our services, including any type of dog. Our organization is well run, honest, professional, and creative. I think we’re doing it right.
Working closely with my daughter, Jennifer, has been a great joy in founding and growing Atlas over the past nine years. Jennifer is the true leader of the organization. Much of Atlas’s success is due to her intellect, passion, skill, and humanity. Aside from the fact that I adore my daughter in general, this has been my life’s most enjoyable and effective working relationship.
Albert Schweitzer’s writings strongly influenced my moral and ethical views, particularly his philosophy of Reverence for Life. As I considered life after retirement, I recalled Dr. Schweitzer’s insistence that people who had experienced good in their lives had an obligation to dedicate some of their time to making life better for others. With Atlas, I feel I am just starting to meet that obligation.
What perspective do you bring to your work at this stage of life?
As I’ve aged, I do see changes from my younger self. I’m more patient with myself and others, more comfortable with who I am, more likely to say what I think. I can laugh at my silly mistakes and not be defensive or embarrassed. I hold firmly to my values but can also respect other views.
But at 77, I’ve also experienced ageism, both subtle and overt. It could be a condescending tone, an assumption I’ll have problems with technology, or someone deciding I need help when I don’t and didn’t ask for it. I recognize and appreciate the intended kindness, but bristle at the assumption that I must be unable to do physical tasks or learn new skills because I am old. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” isn’t true for dogs or people.
With perspective from experience and age, I’m more aware of what our clients, all of whom are disabled, experience regularly. Atlas tries to avoid assuming that being old is the cause of a person’s limitations. We focus on mediating the specific challenges experienced by our clients. The problem is not that the person is old; it’s that they need help to do specific tasks.
It’s not enough that my service dog helps me to get by. I want to live a full and active life, and because of my dog, I can continue to enjoy my passion for hiking. I think that perspective is important for Atlas as we work to see that our clients don’t just get by, but thrive, and that we are helping them to gain the knowledge and tools to enjoy their passion at any age.
Mike’s Enduring Impact
Mike’s story is a powerful reminder that living with a disability doesn’t mean giving up joy, passion, or purpose — and that with the right support, people can achieve more than they ever imagined. Thanks to Mike’s leadership, compassion, and vision, Atlas Assistance Dogs is helping build a world where service dogs empower people to not just navigate life’s challenges, but to truly flourish. We are honored to have Mike as part of our Atlas family and grateful for all the ways he continues to inspire and advocate for our mission.
About Atlas Assistance Dogs
Atlas Assistance Dogs is a non-profit organization that fundamentally expands access to assistance dogs. We support people with disabilities to train and certify their own service dog using positive, ethical training methods. At Atlas, we believe anyone who would benefit from a qualified assistance dog should be able to have one.
We work with people with a wide range of disabilities who wish to train their own service dog as well as offer a comprehensive Academy for professional trainers wanting to become service dog trainers. For more information about Atlas’ Client Certification program or other training services, please visit www.atlasdog.org or contact info@atlasdog.org.
