OkcPets Magazine March 2022

March/April 2022 • OKC Pets 11 Mobility service dogs, on the other hand, are trained to act as an extension of the per- son’s body. For example, the dog can assist if the person can’t reach something, whether it’s too high, too low, or too far, or needs a door or drawer opened. Both types of dogs are trained to find help if needed and are given crossover training. “Sometimes we have people who have been in a traumatic accident that causes PTSD, so there can be people who need both types,” Friedl explained. “When we are training dogs, we train them across the board in all of the same tasks so that we can say they are strong in mobility but they also have that PTSD skill or they are strong in PTSD skills but can also open doors, turn on light switches, and alert somebody, things like that. It can cross over in a help- ful way.” When choosing dogs to enter the pro- gram, it’s all about finding a dog with the right balance of characteristics and person- ality traits. “We try to get dogs that are somewhere in that in-between range of oddly quiet to oddly energetic, so somewhere in the mid- dle,” Friedl said. “It’s kind of like finding a diamond in the rough every time you pick out a dog that you want to be a service dog because not every dog has what it takes. We have passed on more dogs in this program than we have graduated because about 20 percent of dogs that try to be service dogs either don’t make it and end up getting different jobs or they are placed as pets.” Dogs Are Provided Free of Charge Anthem is completely funded by donations, fund-raising, and grants, making it possible for dogs to be provided to those in need of service animals free of charge. “Everything is paid for on our end, our dogs are completely paid for, their veterinary bills are paid for, their food is donated. So no one is out of pocket unless they are buying extra things for the dogs, and our clients are not out of pocket,” Friedl said. “Once they get the dogs, they assume those financial re- sponsibilities. Anyone who is on the waiting list, we say start a service dog fund, save up so that you have cash ready for when you get your dog. You have to keep up with the vet bills and the monthly preventatives, the dog food, and any equipment for that dog.” It can take as long as two years to properly train a service dog. Because of the time investment, purchasing one outright can cost $15,000 to $20,000. Anthem has about 75 applicants on its waiting list, with those who applied in 2021 expecting a wait of three to five years. For that reason, the waiting list is currently closed. “At this point, we have so many good relationships with quality breeders, finding the dog isn’t the problem. It’s just getting people who are committed to training,” Friedl lamented. Volunteer Time Commitment Is a Challenge The time commitment involved in training a service dog is one of the major hurdles to finding volunteers. “Typically, we attract the high school to college-aged crowd because they are on that regular everyday schedule. They don’t Kate Friedl, founder and executive director of Anthem Service Dogs, loves the challenges and rewards of pairing therapy dogs with people who need them.