WANTED: Service Dog Trainers & Assistants!

Pawsitive Teams’ Therapy Dog Program grows in 2023!

It has been an exciting year for our Therapy Dog Program. Our therapy teams have grown as we certified 20 teams this year! This is great news for our program as we need these certified teams to continue and expand our goal-directed therapy work in the community. A couple of…

Comfort Corner, Remembering Judy Fridono and Ricochet

Like pebbles thrown into still water, Pawsitive Teams’ dogs spread comfort—ripples in a pond. In each newsletter we share one of their stories   In all my years associated with Pawsitive Teams, I have never seen a more extraordinary human/dog partnership than Judy Fridono and Ricochet. In t

And then there were …more dogs in Training!
Date November 16, 2023

Wilson (13 months), Sundance, and Mac (both 20 months) continue to excel in their training. They are now focusing on retrieving various items in many different environments and, of course, taking their adventures outdoors.  In late October, we brought Sundance and Mac’s brother Whiskey into o

Our Facility Dogs Have Graduated!!

  When we last updated you, the Facility Dogs in our new Academy program were deep into their training. Since then, all completed their coursework and passed their exams. Their graduation in October was a huge success. We had almost 50 people in attendance including several Board members, Bear�

Q4 Executive Director’s Corner

This time of the year always seems to be something of a hustle-bustle, right?  As I put away the Halloween décor,  I’ve noticed that some on my street already have their holiday lights going. As I write this in early November, I’m left with thinking about the events in between…

7 Ways to Make the Holidays Safer for Pets
Date November 16, 2023

The following web post was written by the team at the American Veterinary Medical Association and reminds us about keeping our pets safe during the holidays! Pass it on!   ​Nothing can spoil holiday cheer like an emergency visit to a veterinary clinic. These seven tips can help prevent a…

Comfort Corner | New Generations

A therapy dog/human partnership is special. Can we carry on with another when our dog becomes too old for therapy visits? Yes, because succeeding generations learn from the ones before them. As Therapy Dog Program Manager Barbara McKown relates, when she got Gill (3), her therapy dog Bailey (8) was�

Introducing Our Education & Outreach Activities

Hi! I’m Jim Hodgdon. My job with Pawsitive Teams as the Educational Outreach Coordinator is to put together and execute presentations describing Pawsitive Teams and the work that we do. Most of these presentations are solicited by requests on-line through our web site. Requests come from a variety

Your Vote WILL Count | Purina Impact Award

Purina Dog Chow is currently running a Visible Impact Award Contest for US veterans who are matched with service dogs trained to mitigate their partner’s Post Traumatic Stress. The field was narrowed down this past July to only five national finalists and our newest service dog team, Sondra and Bo

Facility Dogs in Transition Training

In addition to our three Service Dogs in Training, Mac, Sundance, and Wilson, we currently have five Facility Dog Teams in transition training. Three teams are Pawsitive Teams career change dogs, and two teams are personally-owned dogs going through our new Facility Dog Academy. Here they are! Bear

Summer Training Tips for Hot Weather

Training in Hot Weather In our last newsletter, we provided ideas for training in rainy or cold weather. Many of those ideas work for hot weather too, so here are a few things to remember. How hot is too hot? Most references on training in hot weather indicate that if…

Wilson Summer 2023 Update

Wilson!!! We know everyone enjoys updates on our pups. Wilson is now 8 months old and just under 60 pounds. We continue solidifying or “proofing” his foundation skills by having adventures at Sunset Cliffs, restaurants, coffee shops, and stores. It sounds fun, but remember, he is still very you

Comfort Corner—Summer 2023
Date July 1, 2023

By Marilyn Davis Pawsitive Teams Volunteer Like pebbles thrown into still water, Pawsitive Teams dogs spread comfort—ripples in a pond. It’s often said, regarding our connection with our dogs, “love goes down the leash.” But we also need to remember that our dogs can sense our negative as well as…

Hospitalman 2nd Class Cork Reporting!

by Kim Elliott (Live-streamed and found on the Naval Medical Center San Diego Facebook page.) On June 5th, at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, Pawsitive Teams Facility Dog Cork and L.C. (Facility Dog from Southeastern Guide Dogs), received their official ranks on newly designed uniforms. Captain

A Variety of Workshops

This year, we have had a Secondary Handler Workshop, a Listen to Your Dog Workshop & several Tricks Workshops. Each workshop is designed to enhance our skills as dog handlers and coaches, and the workshops are led by volunteers. In the Secondary Handler Workshop, teams learned techniques for instructing a…

It’s a Family Affair

We’re happy to announce that two English Labrador Retriever brothers from Washington State recently joined the Pawsitive Teams Service Dog Training Team here in San Diego. These one-year-old black labs are handsome, full of life, and clearly love people. They were met by their Aunt Cricket, also a beautiful black…

We’re Expanding our Facility Dog Program!

What happens to dogs that have been service dogs-in-training for two years but just aren’t exactly right to be Service Dogs? At Pawsitive Teams, we have often asked these dogs to change careers and become Facility Dogs. We placed our first Facility Dog in 2006! A Facility Dog is a…

A Word from our Executive Director— Summer 2023

From the Executive Director’s Desk….   We hope you enjoy this issue of the Pawsitive Teams quarterly newsletter. You’ll find articles on our newest service dogs in training, a review of the workshops we hold for our therapy dog teams, things you can do to train your pups when the…

There’s No More Amazon Smile, But . . .
Date April 11, 2023

Amazon is No Longer Smiling… but Pawsitive Teams Can Be! With AmazonSmile shuttering its doors in February 2023, we thought we’d remind you of seven ways you can help us make up the funds we won’t be receiving from Amazon anymore. Thank you! Your support will keep us smiling. SAN…

Transition Training is where the magic happens
Date April 11, 2023

By Carol Davis Pawsitive Teams Co-Founder The most frequently asked question service dog trainers hear is, “How can you give them up?” For 25 years, my answer has been, “It’s like with your kids. They grow up and move out of the house, but they’re still very much part of your…

Dog Training in Your Home? It Works!

By Charli King Co-founder, Service Dog Trainer From hot weather in the summer to cold weather in the winter, you may want to use your home as your training field! Training in your home can be effective for therapy, facility, or service dogs. It’s full of tools you can use.…

Comfort Corner—Spring 2023
Date April 11, 2023

By Marilyn Davis Pawsitive Teams Volunteer Like pebbles thrown into still water, Pawsitive Teams’ dogs spread comfort….ripples in a pond. In each newsletter, we’ll share one of their stories in the Comfort Corner. Today I’m puppysitting Pawsitive Teams’s youngest service dog-in-training, six-month-old chocolate lab, Wilson. He runs around the house…

Therapy Program Updates—Spring 2023

By Barbara McKown Therapy Dog Program Manager 2023 IS OFF TO A GREAT START! Our January Prep School class was full, and several people indicated they are interested in our Goal Directed Therapy programs. The first Therapy Dog Team evaluation was done in early February and seven teams passed the…

A Word from our Executive Director—Spring 2023

OUR TEAM:  If you’re interested in seeing who we are behind the scenes, here’s our organizational chart.  As you can see, our part-time staff is joined by many volunteers who have expertise in a wide variety of areas. If you would like to help fill in the blanks by providing…

25 Stories for 25 Years—Allie Kelly & Service Dog Kenji
Date July 21, 2022

As part of our 25th Anniversary celebration, we’ve created a series of short video interviews with 25 members of the Pawsitive Teams family. Our first video features a mobility service dog team, Allie Kelly & Kenji. Allie just signed the Ownership Agreement and now Kenji is officially hers. They’ve both…

Ricochet the Surf Dog
Date July 15, 2022

Surf Dog Ricochet balances boards… and lives! She’s the only SURFice dog® on the planet who provides canine-assisted surf therapy and healing to empower, enhance and improve the quality of life for individuals with physical, cognitive, or emotional challenges. She is a registered therapy dog through the Alliance of Therapy…

Rally Activity as a Therapy Program Tool

The American Kennel Club (AKC) created Rally in 2005 to be a fun family sport. Today, Rally competitions are held throughout the country. It is considered a team sport offering a way challenge you and your dog. Here’s how the AKC describes Rally: You and your dog navigate a course,…

My, How You’ve Grown!

Pawsitive Teams Celebrates its 25th Year   Think back to 1997, if you were even born:-) Two women, Carol Davis and Charli King, in the Rancho Bernardo neighborhood of San Diego, were puppy raisers for a local service dog training organization. They would spend many, many months working with and…

What Makes a Good Therapy Dog?

  A social dog that likes people and other dogs is the short answer. Can a rescue dog become a therapy dog?  Yes! Another short answer. How can I make sure my dog is social and likes people and other dogs? Now we’re getting to the long answers.   Whether…

What is Therapy Dog Prep School?

Have people often told you your dog is so sweet that it should be a therapy dog? Have you ever wondered what’s involved in actually doing that sort of volunteer work with your dog? Pawsitive Teams has been offering Therapy Dog Preparation School (Prep School for short) just for folks…

Meet Bear & Bertie!
Date January 24, 2022

      On November 18th, 2021 a litter of puppies was born to mother Maya at Bennett Goldens here in San Diego. Twins are incredibly rare in that they share the same amniotic sac. Pawsitive Teams was slated to bring on one male puppy, but due to the fact…

Keep Your Dog Safe From Rattlesnake Bites

  By Barry Neichin, DVM Pawsitive Teams’ Director of Veterinary Medicine It’s a beautiful weekend in San Diego. A typical summer day. I’ve been at work all day and hoping to leave work as scheduled and catch some sun by the pool this afternoon. Just as I am about to…

What is Accreditation at Pawsitive Teams?

by Eileen Heveron, Executive Director As everyone knows, in this day and age there are many organizations—both for profit and not for profit—that provide service dogs to individuals with a wide variety of disabilities. Donors would like to know what sets Pawsitive Teams and other worthy organizations apart from the…

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Date November 24, 2021

  Cofounder Charli King with Kudos, Carli, Stanley, and Ollie   I have raised and trained quite a few service dogs since 1997. Each one included plenty of laughter, doubts, even tears. When you are with these pups twenty-four hours a day, you learn from each other … basic things…

In the Beginning …. Who is Pawsitive Teams?

Charli King and I started Pawsitive Teams (PT) in 1997 after being introduced to the world of service dogs while puppy raising for two different service dog organizations. We both embraced the concept but wanted to have more contact with those receiving these well-trained dogs and we also wanted to…