The Dog Behavior Institute Blog
Why Disability Pride Month Hits Differently This Year
Last fall we were delighted to apply for and be accepted to their Team Facilitator Certification program with Atlas Assistance Dogs. In this program, we were trained to work directly with Atlas clients to help them prepare their dogs for service work, including taking and passing a Public Access Test (PAT). I couldn’t have been more excited to participate in the program. What I didn’t realize at the time I applied was that I would soon become much more intimately familiar with disability than I could have imagined when we started this process.
Interview with Molly Neher on Assistance Dogs
This month we are so excited to introduce you to Molly Neher of Atlas Assistance Dogs. Ran and I first heard about Atlas at a ClickerExpo presentation. Atlas Assistance Dogs is an organization that helps guardians train their own service dog by pairing them with a trained facilitator to guide them through teaching disability-related tasks and public access skills. We were blown away by their commitment to accessibility and inclusion, and the enormous amount of support they provide clients at all stages in the process. Molly was so generous in sharing her time and experiences, I know you’ll get as much out of reading the interview as I did conducting it!