Service Dogs Alabama (SDA) is a non-profit organization serving children, adults, and Veterans with disabilities, as well as schools, youth facilities, and courtrooms. SDA is proud to announce becoming a fully accredited member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) who sets the gold standard for training and placement of service dogs. “We have been updating records and implementing training and safety methods to meet ADI standards. It has been a long and arduous process taking us two years and requiring documentation of every detail of a dog’s breeding, training, evaluation, and placement,” said Frances McGowin, SDA Executive Director. “Becoming an accredited member of ADI is the next step in the growth of our program.” ADI is a coalition of non-profit organizations from around the world that train and place many types of service dogs.

From an early age Emily Manley, a Prattville resident, faced several health challenges. “ I live with so many disorders, most of which people have never heard of like Ehlers-Danlos which causes my joints to collapse without notice, Dysautonomia which effects breathing and causes dizziness and instability, Epilepsy which causes multiple seizures each day, and many others.”

May was an exciting time at SDA! Six Facility Intervention Dogs completed training and have transitioned as school dogs to begin assisting students in three elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. Skillfully trained to serve multiple people with intervention tasks that break cycles of disruptive or self-defeating behavior, these dogs will be creating meaningful and positive impacts. They are chosen for this particular training when their personalities are confident enough to work off-leash without direction. They must be able to act independently of their handler when they seek out the children or faculty who need them.

Popcorn is celebrating first grade graduation with her own cap and gown! “The students and staff consider Popcorn as much a part of the class as anyone. Our students and staff could not imagine having a graduation ceremony without her!” said Brandi Reiske, Popcorn’s handler and WES teacher.

Service Dogs Alabama (SDA) has received the 2021 Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar by Candid. As an online charity profile platform, GuideStar is the largest source for nonprofit data collection, providing unbiased information which allows charities to highlight their mission and commitment to transparency. GuideStar aims to be a transparent and reliable source of information so donors can make educated decisions about the charities they support.

Service Dogs Alabama received a very generous $10,000 grant from the Central Alabama Community Foundation to train and place a specifically trained Service Dog with an Educator Handler in a River Region school. When Service dogs are placed in a classroom, they can decrease anxiety, behavior problems, aggression, and hyperactivity among students.

The whole weekend consisted of four days of training, lectures, evaluations, and re-certifications for 31 recipients and their Service Dogs. However, the hidden and one of the most important benefits of the weekend was the fellowship of Veterans, families

ope Hull, AL - Service Dogs Alabama (SDA) held its 2019 graduation ceremony on August 4, at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. The ceremony marked the transfer of service dogs to their recipients.