A trainer of service dogs, Margot likes to bring her four-legged students out to learn commands and socialize amongst their friendly neighbors and fellow Caryites!
Q: What inspired you to begin training dogs for service work? I already had a yellow Lab at home and it just fit blending the two together. A: I am currently raising my 10th service dog. Q: What's the difference between a service dog and a therapy dog? A: A Service Dog is trained for specific tasks to assist someone with a disability. They are covered under ADA and are allowed anywhere under that law. A Service Dog wears a vest for identification that says it is a working service dog, and should never be approached or pet as they are working, and that could distract them from focusing on their partner.
Therapy Dogs are certified pet dogs who, with their owner, provide comfort in a variety of settings-hospitals, nursing homes, schools, sometimes even in areas of trauma. They only wear a therapy dog vest when they go on visits and are not covered under ADA to be allowed inside public places. Q: Do the dogs come to you from the owner, as puppies? How does that work? A: Therapy dogs can come from a variety of places- their owners determine their fit for therapy after they've been together and come to know each other.
Therapy dogs can come from a shelter, some are rescues, some from breeders. The Service Dogs I work with are bred at a breeding center on the main campus of the organization. For the first 8 weeks of the puppy life, they are cared for by Breeder Caretakers and staff and volunteers who attend to their needs, provide playtime and socialization and snuggle with them.
The puppies are then flown all over the country to puppy raisers when they are 8 weeks old. We have some amazing volunter pilots who privately fly the puppies at no charge. My last puppy, who is now a Facility Dog, was flown on a private plane with 13 other puppies!! Sometimes puppies are transported in a car to their raisers if the distance allows. Q: How long does it take generally or specifically to complete service work training for each dog?
