Alright doggo friends… I need to see your dogs living their BEST goofy, off-duty (aka “free dog”) life. Post a pic of your service dog (or pet) being a total happy potato! 😂🐶

I’d like to take a moment to highlight one of our favorite service dog teams: @Kenzie Carlson and her service dog, Atlas 🐾💛 Kenzie received Atlas from ASA Service Dogs four years ago, and we’ve loved watching them grow together ever since! Not only do they shine as a working team, but they also give back so much to our program 🙌 ✨ Kenzie and her family volunteer with ASA fundraising and at community events. ✨ They serve as puppy raisers, giving program dogs-in-training a loving home environment. ✨ Her mom, Tammy, faithfully attends our puppy raiser classes and works side by side with Kenzie to help raise and train dogs that go on to change lives! ✨ Kenzie has also shared her knowledge publicly — giving presentations and spreading education about cerebral palsy and service dogs. Currently, they are raising Joy, one of our program pups, and they’ve raised several dogs before who have since graduated and are now working service dogs in their forever homes! 🙌 We are so grateful to Kenzie, Atlas, and their family for everything they contribute!! If anyone is considering applying for a program service dog through ASA, or interested in becoming a puppy raiser, Kenzie is a wonderful resource. She’s happy to answer questions and share her firsthand experience. Please join me in celebrating Kenzie & Atlas — an incredible team and an inspiring part of the ASA family! 🎉🐕💙

There’s a pretty common misconception floating around that service dogs are supposed to be these elite, fearless, never-flinch, never-blink machines. But… yeah. No. That’s not real life. 😂 Just like humans — even the most confident, badass humans you can think of — every dog has fears. Fear is instinctual. So the goal with service dogs is not to create a dog that never gets scared. The goal is to create a dog that knows what to do when something does scare them… and that comes from training + communication + trust. 🧠 So what actually matters for a service dog? Not “fearlessness.” But how they handle fear when it pops up. A well-trained service dog, when startled, should have this instinct: 👉 “Check in with my human. What do you want me to do?” THAT is the magic. THAT is the safety. THAT is why training matters so much. Because the opposite reaction — the instinctual bolt/run/flee moment — is dangerous for the dog, the handler, AND the public. And that’s exactly what we want to prevent. 💪 Training creates the communication that replaces instinct. Training opens up a line of communication: - The dog learns: “When I’m unsure, I check in.” - The handler learns: “When my dog is unsure, I guide them.” That’s the whole game. It doesn’t mean your dog won’t ever spook at something dropping behind them. Humans jump too! It just means they recover quickly and look to you instead of relying on instinct. 🎯 Your job as a handler Your job is to: - Notice when they’re unsure - Take a moment to work them through it - Help them build confidence - Prevent small startles from turning into big fears That’s how you create a dog who is: 🐶 well-desensitized 🐶 safe in public 🐶 thinking instead of reacting 🐶 checking in instead of bolting 🐶 trusting their human instead of their instincts 💛 Bottom line Service dogs aren’t fearless superheroes. They’re dogs — with instincts, emotions, and the occasional “shaky boots” moment. The real strength is this: When fear shows up, they use their brain instead of their instincts, and they trust their handler enough to ask, “What now?”

Atlas puts up with so much 🤪🤣 We have twinning Christmas spirit jerseys so we took some quick pics last night!

Hey everyone! 👋🐾 I’ve been out of town and somehow managed to catch a bug from the cold Florida woods 😂🌲 — so thank you all so much for your patience while I recover and get back into the groove! But for now, let’s have a little fun and connection time! 💬 Question #1: For those of you who already have your service dogs — what’s your very favorite task, behavior, or thing your dog does for you? 💕 Maybe it’s the way they wake you up with kisses, perform deep pressure therapy, give that grounding touch, or simply make you smile just by looking into those sweet eyes. 🥹 And for those of you still waiting for your future service dog or currently in training — what are you most looking forward to about your partnership? Question #2 (Just for fun!): If you were turned into a dog 🐶 and could be any breed you wanted… what breed would you choose — and why? I can’t wait to read your answers and get to know everyone’s dogs (and imaginary dog selves 😂) a little better!