By Eileen Heveron In putting together this newsletter, it’s been fun to read the stories coming in: what are folks doing with their dogs this summer… what is transition training all about…how can you decipher what your pup is telling you about what they want to do when they grow…
By Barbara McKown and Mary Skrabucha What are you doing on vacation? In the Therapy Dog world, our school programs are on summer hiatus. So, we asked some of the volunteers that work in the school programs what their summer plans are. Many of our volunteer teams are certified with…
By Carolyn Peters and Margery Squier We have a trained service dog for mobility disabilities or PTSD… now what? The interviews of individuals who have applied for a service dog begin when the volunteer trainer and program manager agree that the service dog in training is ready (after 18 –…
By Marilyn Davis My 16-month-old golden retriever, Pickle, has not gotten my memo about my plans for her future as a therapy dog. I’ve had other certified therapy dogs – goldens – who met the brief: “Velcro” affection applied liberally to everyone they meet. Pickle, however, so far, does
By Denelle Curry If you can’t picture a foxtail in your head, it’s time to look at the images below and remember them! San Diego residents are generally aware of foxtails and their danger to dogs. But foxtails have come out earlier and are more plentiful this summer. Recently, two…
By Carolyn Peters Let’s start spring by celebrating the birthdays of our trio of brother service dogs in training: Born on March 22, 2022. Sundance and Mac (also known as “officer friendly”) have been training for a year and are ready for placement. Both have responded well to our process�
I hope you enjoy the articles found here in our 2024 Q1 newsletter! You’ll find an interview with our co-founder, Charli King; updates from each of our programs; and other tidbits. In other news, the Board of Directors welcomed Jim Wegerbauer as a new Board member and our Treasurer at…
by Jean Gertmenian Charli King, with co-founder, Carol Davis, and one golden retriever puppy, launched Pawsitive Teams in 1997. Since that modest beginning more than a quarter of a century ago, it would be impossible to calculate how many thousands of lives in San Diego County have been touched by�
by Mary Skrabucha In our last newsletter, we reported on the graduation of five new facility dogs, two of whom were owner-trained. We are pleased to let you know that these five teams are all doing well at their sites. We know this because part of our program involves weekly,…
Jim Hodgdon Each month, depending on the season, we make any number of presentations about Pawsitive Teams and the varied roles of dogs that help people. During these events, our volunteer teams bring their dogs and demonstrate the skills they have for the role they play. On September 24,2023
Pawsitive Teams recently opened its Therapy Dog Prep School for 2025. And yes, January & April classes are already full! We will be starting our April 2024 term in a few weeks, with most of our trainers in tow at some point during the six-week term (Carol Davis, Charli King,…
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…
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
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
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�
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…
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…
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�
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
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
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
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!!! 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
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…
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
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
October 27, 2021
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…