Service Dog Training is available through A Better Pet LLC.

1. For adults and/or children interested in help acquiring a suitable puppy who is then raised/trained and placed with customized support to provide function for a person with special needs.
2. For adults and/or children who already have their own dog and want to have that dog evaluated for possible service and/or training for function.

   At present, direct service service dog training (face to face contact) is limited to a 75 mile radius of Cleveland, Ohio but distance training is available when appropriate. While hands on service is always best, there are those who can work effectively using telephone, IM or email contact. This is especially helpful for those who live in areas with no suitable trainers. Please email to discuss if this is a suitable option for your needs.

What is a service dog?

A service dog is a dog trained to mitigate the disability of his owner. The disability could be visible or invisible, medical, emotional or psychiatric in origin. It could fit into more than one category. The dog could be functional as a service dog within the home only, and in some cases the dog would be an appropriate support 24/7. Service dogs have the same rights as guide dogs and can go anywhere the owner goes.

Service dogs must have a solid foundation of basic good manners/general obedience for out of home work which includes work in public settings and lots of socialization. Training for service dog work includes identifying functions and setting up a treatment plan with realistic goals and techniques.

Dogs can be owner trained to perform a variety of behaviors including mobility support, pulling a wheelchair, turning lights on/off, opening/closing doors, retrieval of objects such as cordless phones, pill bottles, drinks, purses, keys, etc. Dogs can be trained to help motivate someone who is depressed, and alert to seizures.

In part because of her background working with children, Rachel has developed an especial fondness for Autism Assistance Dogs. An autism assistance dog can help bridge the social/emotional problems of children on the autism spectrum in a variety of ways, including but not limited to difficulty with peer interactions, self esteem, repetitive behaviors, temper tantrums, etc. The prerequisite is at minimum a child's love of animals, especially dogs, and the adults in the child's life willing to participate in a 3 way relationship between dog, child and adults. For more on Autism Assistance Dogs, please email.

For more information on A Better Pet's trainer assisted service dog training, please email or call (216) 321-7654. Fees for service dog training are customized for each client and discussed in advance. Or, for more general information about Service Dogs, see International Association of Assistance Dog Partners.

"For perhaps, if the truth were known, we're all a little blind, a little deaf, a little handicapped, a little lonely, a little less than perfect. And if we can learn to appreciate and utilize the dog's full potentials, we will, together, make it in this life on earth."