The Good Shepherd Service Dogs

The Good Shepherd Service Dogs Training guide and service dogs to help people regain their independence. I apprenticed for four years under a Seeing Eye guide dog trainer in the early 70s.

I have been training guide dogs off and on ever since. I trained a service dog for someone not visually impaired for the first time in 1980. I now train both guide dogs and various other types of service dogs.

01/18/2025

It's coyotes mating season. Pets, especially in urban areas, are at risk from coyotes attacks. There are two reasons the attacks are worse in urban areas. 2. There are a higher concentration of pets in urban areas. 2. There are a higher concentration of coyotes in urban areas. Yes. There are more coyotes living in urban areas, than in either rural or wilderness areas.

10/26/2024

This is a widespread problem with guide and service dog teams everywhere.

10/26/2024
10/25/2024

There was a problem with the go fund me site and we've and Gilles is canceling it and going to use another platform.

Sorry for any trouble this may have caused.

10/22/2024

I was looking over some old training videos. Here is one of me doing blindfold training at the transit center in SierraVista AZ. This youngster is named Ranger. I was training him as a guide dog. The video starts with Ranger guiding me along the line of bus bays. He brought me to the correct bus. The driver had extended a ramp, and Ranger brought me to the end of the ramp and stopped. I felt for the edge, then gave the "forward" and we went up the ramp inside the bus. The ramp is scary.

I later explained to the driver that using the ramp is harder for someone blind, or wearing a blindfold, to get on the bus, than it is to going to the bus door and up the steps with a railing to hold to. The ramp is open on the sides and has no railing. If you don't walk straight, you can fall off the side of the ramp. It does have a low lip which works to keep a wheelchair from falling off. But it won't stop someone walking from falling. But Ranger saw to keeping me straight.

Sorry for the blurriness of the video. This was taken on a flip phone with a mediocre camera.

10/21/2024

This video was taken in 2020. It shows me in Blindfold being guided by Ranger towards a bus. Ranger stops at the bottom of the bus ramp. I feel for the ramp with my foot. Feeling that I am in the right spot, I praise Ranger and go forward onto the bus.

10/10/2024

Saoirse, with her German Shepherd guide dog Leader, and a Lab puppy, practicing stays at a park in SierraVista AZ.

We had to change locations several times because of active africanized bees. Something had the bees agitated.

10/10/2024

Address

Bisbee, AZ

Telephone

(520) 335-7073

Website

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About The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd is a guide dog and service dog private training school. I, Joy Van Veen, train and provides guide dogs and other service dogs to those in need. The dogs come from my own training program, donations, purchased from reputable breeders, and occasionally from rescues. I breed German Shepherds but train various breeds. I am a private trainer but do offer a generous sliding scale as well as a 20% discount for veterans. Puppies or adolescents are occasionally available as pets.