09/15/2016
I am planning to move to Colorado Springs in the spring of 2017.
I want PASDI to be a 501(c)3 corporation and am writing to give you a brief overview of our vision. I envision a combination of uses for any property purchased for or donated to PASDI. I want to breed dogs to be service dogs. We want to have several residential units for the use of disabled handler/trainers while training their dogs to be service dogs. I see indoor and outdoor training and exercise areas. I would like to obtain a flight simulator to train the dogs for airplane travel. I would like to create a commuter train within the facility to transport teams from their residents to the various training, grooming, veterinary, and restaurant/retail sections of the facility. I plan to obtain a city bus to use to transport the disabled who do not have a dog to the breeding facility to choose their puppy and begin training on the way back to the facility. As the dogs mature and become ready for public access training/testing, the bus would be used to travel from the training facility to various area attractions such movie theaters, shopping malls, grocery stores, etc. Prior permission to train/test our dogs would be obtained ahead of time with each place we visit. Since this entire facility is based on the premise of the disabled training their own service dogs, it is quite unique. I am not aware of another like it in the entire country. It is not like Canine Companions for Independence where dogs are pre-trained and later matched with prospective handlers. I think those programs are excellent concepts, but fall short of the mark many times as some of the dogs are returned due to the inability to transition to the new handler or the new environment or both. It is my personal belief that having the disabled train their own dogs from puppies forms a stronger bond between dog and handler. It also instills a sense of accomplishment for what they have done, and confidence to handle any new situation they encounter with their dog as they are their dog’s trainer.
Anyone have any fundraising ideas? We are open to any and all suggestions.
